Stringing a bow
by KrystalFlare
Summary: How do you measure worthiness? How do you measure courage? How do you measure duty... honor... friendship? But most importantly... how do you measure love?
1. Guests in Mirkwood

Soooooo my lovely readers and followers. In celebration of the approaching conclusion to what has been the most epic life experience, namely the end of the Middle Earth saga - with the final Hobbit movie coming out next month - I have decided to start uploading the story that I wrote for my favorite character in the Hobbit book/movie trilogy... none other than Bard the Bowman.

Since he is grossly underused in the book (although I perfectly understand Sir Tolkien's choice, as Bard is much too similar to Aragorn), the story will be based for the most part on the second and third movies, where the wonderful Peter Jackson gave Bard a much larger and deeper part to play.

What I wish to mention is that this story is a work-in-progress due to obvious reasons. But, I have already written past the end of the second movie, basing the "unofficial" chapters on the book and what I imagine will happen in the last movie, based on how the action flows out of the second installment.

So I have a question for you, my lovely readers, and for that I'm going to ask you to pay a little visit to my profile... it's right there at the top, in a poll where I'm going to ask you to vote so I'll know your heart's desire and also so I can know how often I can update the story.

With that said, enjoy this first chapter darlings and toss me a little review to let me know if you love it or hate it. I promise I don't bite and I absolutely love replying to reviews and chatting with y'all so don't be shy... step into the light ;)

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><strong><span>1. <em>Guests<em> in Mirkwood**

_My name is Brand, son of Bain and grandson of Bard, the Dragon Slayer, who, in the days of old, restored the ruined city of Dale and became King of the Lowlands._

_And here I will tell you a story... as it was told to me by my grandfather and his Queen._

_I will tell you the story of Bard the Bowman and the slaying of Smaug the dragon._

_I will tell you the story of how the city of Dale came to forge a strong alliance with Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood._

_I will tell you the story of how Bard, King of Dale, came to tie a long lasting friendship with Elrond of Rivendell and with Gandalf the wizard._

_I will tell you the story of how Dale came to have an Elven Queen... and how she sacrificed everything in the name of the love she bore my grandfather._

**oOoOo**

It was late afternoon when Legolas finally returned with Tauriel and the others, only to find Faelwen waiting for him at the gates.

_**"****What's this?"**_ she asked.

Her inquiry had been triggered by the fact that Legolas' group had returned along with thirteen Dwarves.

_**"****Prisoners... one of them asked to speak to my father."**_ the prince replied.

Averting his cerulean gaze to the group he pointed to a dark haired, blue eyed Dwarf.

_**"****Leave this one with me. Take the rest to the dungeons."**_

After Tauriel and the others left to fulfill his order, he finally addressed the remaining Dwarf in the Common Tongue.

"Come with me."

Offering a short glance to the she-Elf, the Dwarf then followed Legolas until at long last he found himself before Thranduil's throne.

"Well, well... Thorin Oakenshield..." the king stated after Legolas had left to check on the prisoners.

The sly smile which curved his lips at those words left Thorin wondering if he was being mocked, or if the Elf truly was sincere in his apparently friendly demeanor.

"What brings you onto my lands?"

Keeping silent, the Dwarf merely stared down the Elf king until Thranduil's brow twitched in annoyance.

"You will not speak to _me_?" he demanded.

"Not like this... I want someone else to be here."

His mind was still hazy from the effects of the forest air, but he had somehow managed to remember Gandalf's warning, in case they were captured by the Elves. When Thranduil tilted his head to the side and offered him an inquisitive frown, he spoke again.

"I want Faelwen to be here."

Straightening his posture, the king's frown now took on a rather suspicious air.

"How do you know her?"

"A mutual friend told me to seek her, should you offer us your _hospitality_." Thorin replied somewhat sarcastically.

While he had no knowledge of just who this woman was, he trusted Gandalf's judgment enough by now, to follow his advice. Besides, anyone who could get them out of that situation was useful. With a displeased expression, Thranduil now turned to one of the guards standing nearby.

"Bring Faelwen to me."

Minutes later, the female ascended the stony path leading to the throne; she was still garbed in the usual hunting attire: dark green pants, a tunic painted in a lighter shade of emerald – its edges cut in the pointy pattern of leaves – the edges of which reached to just below her knees and a corset of armor covered in dark brown leather. Her forearms were strapped in steel bracers, and earthen boots covered her legs to just beneath her kneecaps, a thin, silvery belt tied around her slender waist. Her garb was completed by a chestnut leather belt holding a quiver full of arrows to her hip, a longbow which had been gifted to her during her recent visit to Lothlórien, a pair of short swords strapped to her back, as well as twin daggers tied to the back of her waist.

Her hazel hair was swept back; two thin braids trailed along her temples, starting just above her ears and met at the back of her head to hold the rest of her hair which had been left to hang loosely along her back. However, the thing which drew Thorin's attention to her, more than her general appearance or the fact that she was an Elf, was the jewel she wore around her neck – a milky white flower in full bloom, its intricately designed petals holding a sapphire cut in the form of a dewdrop. It made such a powerful contrast to her otherwise shady appearance, and Thorin could have bet his life that it wasn't made out of silver but, in fact, mithril.

"You summoned me, my Lord?" she asked, stopping a few steps away from Thorin and looking straight into Thranduil's eyes.

She offered no bow to the Elvenking; it actually made Thorin wonder just who she was as he remembered, from the days of old, that Thranduil was greatly respected by his kin and that he allowed no boldness from the ones standing before him.

"How do you know Thorin Oakenshield?" he replied, briefly nodding toward the Dwarf.

Momentarily widening her eyes, the girl turned to glance to Thorin; so he was the one Gandalf had spoken of in the message he had sent no more than a few hours before, via a squirrel which had agreed to carry the note to her. In it, he had detailed their quest and had worded his worry that their group would be captured by the Elves. It seemed he had been right to worry...

"I know him." she stated, looking back to the king.

"That is not what I asked." Thranduil now smiled, seemingly amused by her elusive answer.

Deciding to address the matter at another time, he walked past the two and looked down upon the caverns which sheltered his people.

"Some may imagine a noble quest is at hand..." he spoke, addressing Thorin. "A quest to reclaim a homeland... and slay a dragon..."

Now moving to stand before the Dwarf again, he continued.

"I myself suspect a more prosaic motive... attempted burglary, or something of that ilk."

Staring down the silent Thorin, he then leaned forward until their faces were at the same level.

"You have found a way in... you seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The King's Jewel... the Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure..."

Once again, a sly smile stretched upon his lips, as he straightened his posture.

"I understand that... there are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems... pure starlight..."

Still quiet, Thorin now offered him an expectant gaze... was Thranduil about to propose him a deal?

"I offer you my help..." Thranduil finally stated.

"I am listening..." Thorin replied with a smile which showed that his suspicions had been confirmed.

"I will let you go, if you but return what is mine."

"A favor for a favor..."

"You have my word... one king to another."

Having turned his back on Thranduil and Faelwen to glance over the caverns, Thorin then suddenly spoke up.

"I would not trust Thranduil... the _great king_... to honor his word, should the end of all days be upon us!" he shouted, his booming voice echoing into the caves.

Suddenly whirling around, he pinned his enraged gaze upon the Elvenking while Faelwen now clenched her jaw; she had heard much of the pride and stubbornness of Dwarves, but to refuse Thranduil's offer – as she was sure Thorin was about to do – was utterly foolish.

"You... who lack all honor! We came to you once... starving... homeless... seeking your help... but you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of my people... and the inferno that destroyed us!"

It was at the last statement that Thranduil, who had been staring at Thorin in shock until then – apparently stunned by the fact that the Dwarf had had the gall to throw offenses in his face – seemed to regain his senses. Stepping forward, he once more leaned down and scowled heavily in the Dwarf's face.

"Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin!"

As he spoke, his words pierced through the concealing enchantment which veiled the hideous scars left upon his face.

"I have faced the Great Serpents of the North!" he hissed.

Stepping back and allowing the enchantment to once more return his face to its normal appearance, he seemed to settle down from his anger.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon... but he would not listen. You are just like him..."

Moving to ascend the steps leading to his throne, he waved his hand and watched as two of the guards now restrained Thorin.

"Stay here, if you will, and rot... a hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an Elf. I'm patient... I can wait..."

When the guards dragged him away, the king was left to stare down the girl.

"How do you know the Dwarf?"

He suspected by now that a certain wizard was involved. But he would be damned if he would allow Gandalf to drag Faelwen into any dangers; his close friendship with Elrond was much too important to Thranduil, and Elrond trusted him to take care of the girl he had raised as his own.

"I received word that they might pass this way. My Lord... please reconsider your decision. Let them go..."

Her plea, however, had little effect on Thranduil despite his deep affection for her. Seating himself on the throne at long last, he motioned for her to depart.

"Leave me for now..." he said, his tone sounding genuinely warm this time. "I will think on it."

**oOoOo**

Later that night Faelwen was down in the dungeons, checking on the Dwarves. It seemed that despite the old grudge between the two races, the prisoners were not ill treated; then again, it was not in the nature of Elves to mistreat any living thing. Even now, she and two other guards had brought them thick blankets so that they would not freeze in their cells during the night.

"Excuse me..." Balin said when she opened his cell door to offer him the blanket.

Setting her azure eyes upon the white haired Dwarf, Faelwen offered him an expectant gaze.

"If it's not too bold to ask... might I have a word with your king?"

Out of their lot he was the one who had the best way with words; and unlike Thorin, he was not quick to anger. Perhaps, if he could convince the Elves to let him speak to Thranduil, he could make a deal with the king and get all of them out. His hopes did decrease somewhat, when Faelwen arched a brow at his request.

"I'm afraid, master Dwarf, that the king has no desire to speak to any of you... at least not yet."

She was well versed in Thranduil's moods by then; he had been terribly angered by Thorin's words, even if she knew the Dwarf had only spoken the truth. Briefly glancing to Thorin who was glaring at her from behind his prison bars, she then returned her focus to Balin when the elder Dwarf retrieved his blanket from her hand. The utter disappointment visible in his expression, however, did rouse her sympathy.

"I will speak to him on your behalf... the Feast of Starlight begins later this night. He will calm down after a while of celebrating with our people."

When Balin stared up at her the female finally smiled and winked at him.

"After all... Gandalf would be furious with me, if I left you here to rot." she whispered, careful not to be overheard by the other Elves currently giving out blankets to their prisoners.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Balin had not been the only one to hear her words. Hidden by the spell of his ring, Bilbo was listening to her... yes, clearly this was Faelwen; the one Gandalf had mentioned to them just before his departure. A few minutes later, when she left the dungeons, he followed her as fast as his little legs could carry him for she had a very fast pace, even for an Elf. What he failed to notice was that in the rush his clothes made enough noise so as to alert Faelwen of his presence. A few times she even stopped and glanced behind her, only to find no trace of anyone.

She suspected by now that the one following her was the Halfling Gandalf had mentioned in his letter. Thinking on it, she had not seen him among the prisoners... was he truly _that_ good at moving around unseen, so as to deceive even the famed eyesight of the Elves? Setting her curiosity aside for the moment, she now led him to her chambers. Once there, she finally came to a halt and once more turned around, while Bilbo stopped dead in his tracks.

"I know you're there... master Hobbit." she said on a low tone. "You can come out... there are no guards here, I promise no harm will come to you."

Still hesitant, the Halfling now pondered on her words; then again, Gandalf had told them to seek her out should Thranduil make them his prisoners. Moving his hands behind his back, he clenched his jaw and readied his body to run away, before finally slipping the ring off. Had he not been starving and thirsty, dead tired and frightened, it would have amused him to see the she-Elf staring at him when he appeared before her eyes out of nowhere.

"So you are the Hobbit..." she said once she had recovered from the shock.

"Yes... my name is Bilbo Baggins."

Offering him a trace of smile, Faelwen finally removed her bow and quiver, setting them against the wall.

"It would seem that Gandalf's praises fall short of your actual skill at being stealthy."

Having slipped the ring into his pocket, while she had her back to him, Bilbo made his best attempt at a relaxed smile. Of course, he would not tell her of it, thus a small half-lie was in order.

"Yes, well... my kin are known for being light on their feet. We can make use of some small charms as well, to pass unseen."

Smiling at him over her shoulder, she reached to the back of her head to untie her hair.

"Good... you will need those skills tonight. I assume you are hungry..."

Watching as she retrieved what looked like a long mass of colored silk, the Hobbit nodded in reply to her inquiry; as if the loud grumbling of his stomach hadn't been enough to answer that question.

"Wait here until I change. You will come with me afterwards, to the halls where we feast. I will see to it that you receive a meal worthy of your skills." she smiled.

**oOoOo**

Half an hour later Bilbo was still trapped in the awe of just how beautiful Faelwen revealed herself before his eyes. A royal blue surcoat molded to her body, its wavy edges parting in front from the waist down to reveal the kirtle beneath painted in the color of freshly sprung grass. The long sleeves were opened up to her shoulders in the same wavy pattern, their edges sliding inaudibly along the floor as she walked, revealing her pale arms. A belt made of flowers encompassed her waist, and the jewel she had received at birth from Elrond cast rays of white and blue light around her, as the mithril and sapphire caught the shine of the moon which had barely risen upon the sky. Her hair was now gathered skillfully at the back of her head in a circle of loops. No other piece of jewelry adorned her, aside from a thin coronet from which strings of silver cascaded along the sides of her head.

It was one of her simplest attires, yet to Bilbo's eyes she was a sight more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. Now he understood all the tales about Elves, Men or even Dwarves falling in love with beautiful Elf maidens. He had even forgotten his hunger and exhaustion for the moment. However, a knock on her door snapped him out of that pleasant stupor.

"Hide..." Faelwen whispered as she walked past him.

Without a second thought he shoved his hand in his pocket and slipped the ring onto his finger, just when Faelwen opened the door to reveal Legolas standing in the hallway.

_**"****Father said the feast is about to begin."**_

Briefly looking her over, he then smiled as they locked gazes.

_**"****You look beautiful."**_

_**"****Thank you, my Lord..."**_

When he wrinkled his nose, Faelwen giggled softly.

_**"****You know I'm just teasing you..."**_

_**"****I wish you wouldn't." **_he replied humorously. _**"Come..."**_

Though he understood very little of what they were saying, Bilbo did manage to slip outside without making any noise and now waited for the girl to move so that he could follow her.

**oOoOo**

_'Now that's much better.'_

A few good hours had passed since Bilbo had followed Faelwen into the main hall. With all the music and laughter no one heard him as he scurried around; the only thing he still had to be mindful of was to not accidentally bump into someone and cause panic. Faelwen had not disappointed him either... a short while after the feast had begun she had summoned one of the servants and had requested a meal to be set aside. Later she had briefly left the hall to carry the meal outside, setting it on a small natural ledge, hanging high above the Forest River.

It was probably one of the last warm nights of that autumn, and Bilbo had thoroughly enjoyed eating beneath the starry sky, seated in the soft grass that still smelled of summer flowers. For a while he almost felt as if he was back in Rivendell, their quest and the fiery terror which awaited him at its end, only a distant memory. Stretching his spine, he let out a content sigh. He couldn't even remember how many days had passed since his belly had been full like this. Good food, a warm night and wonderful music – which he could hear through the large glass doors of the celebration hall which had been left wide open that night. What more could he ask for? Well, other than a warm, soft bed to rest his aching bones.

While the Halfling had been enjoying his meal outside, Faelwen had kept a close watch on Legolas. He had left shortly after leading her to the hall, saying he was going to check on the prisoners. But ever since he had returned, his mood had been quite notably foul. Having had enough of it after a while, Faelwen now stood from her seat to the left of Thranduil's chair at the head of the long table. When the king looked to her, she leaned down to speak on a low tone in his ear.

_**"Might I have a word with Legolas, my Lord?"**_

_**"****Of course..."**_ he smiled lightly.

Returning his smile briefly, the female averted her gaze to the prince who had been listening to them from where he was seated at his father's right side. In spite of his inquisitive gaze, he too stood and followed Faelwen through one of the arches. Once they had stopped at the edge of the grassy ledge overseeing the river, the blond prince took a deep breath of the night air, exhaling it as a heavy sigh.

_**"****Is your father still insisting upon it?"**_

_**"****More and more often, recently..."**_ the prince sighed again.

Lightly shaking her head, the young woman reached out to take his arm.

_**"****Do not let it trouble you... he will understand one day."**_

_**"****I wish he would understand sooner..."**_

Turning his cerulean eyes to Faelwen's fair countenance, Legolas offered her a tired gaze but fell silent for the moment listening as music drifted gracefully on the air, like a swan along the crystalline surface of a lake.

_**"****You are one of the most beautiful women I have seen in all my years, I cannot deny that. But you are too much of a sister to me... I simply cannot bring myself to see you as my wife, no matter how much my father would wish it."**_

_**"****I know..."**_ she smiled warmly.

Reaching out she set a hand onto his smooth cheek, a shade of sorrow momentarily darkening her features.

_**"****Do not let it burden you."**_ she pleaded. _**"I don't like it when you're sad."**_

Ultimately unable to hold back a smile of his own, the prince now grasped her hand and placed a kiss to the back of her slender fingers.

_**"****It's not just my father, Faelwen..."**_

Silence once more fell between them whilst Legolas turned to watch the foamy waters of the river hurrying downhill toward the lake, flowing like liquid silver beneath the moon hanging above them. Allowing him a few moments of respite, Faelwen finally spoke again.

_**"****Why do you not tell him of your feelings for Tauriel?"**_

When he looked at her with widened eyes and an awed frown, the woman once more giggled.

_**"****Do not think I didn't notice. I would not be surprised at all if your father noticed as well... perhaps that's his reason for insisting that you marry me."**_

_**"****He would sooner disown me, than allow his only son to pledge himself to a Silvan Elf."**_

"Oh for goodness' sake..." she hissed in the Common Tongue. "I grow tired of all these distinctions between races. She's an Elf, what does it matter if she's Silvan or Sindar?"

Once more the wheat haired prince found that he could not hold back a smile. This was one of the reasons he loved her so much... she did not share his father's way of thinking, and to Legolas that was as refreshing as the chilly dawn. When she turned her frowning expression to him, however, the male's features moved away from humor.

_**"****Tell him of how you feel... I will speak to him myself, if I must."**_ she pleaded.

Silently the prince gently grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

_**"****I will think on it..."**_ he promised.

_**"****You sound just like him, you know?"**_

Her somewhat jesting reply drew another smile from Legolas who now wrapped his arms around the slender female.

_**"****I can't help it... I **_**am**_** his son, am I not?"**_

No more words came from either of them after his statement; at long last, whilst they were watching the stars together, Faelwen claimed that she would retire for the night. A second kiss, this time to her cheek, was Legolas' parting gift before he stepped back into the celebration hall. Mere moments afterwards, a light tug on her dress made her aware that Bilbo was there.

"Come, master Hobbit..." she whispered. "I am sure you could use a warm bed after everything you have been through."


	2. An unexpected savior

One thing I forgot to mention at the beginning of the previous chapter, lovelies... anything written _**like this **_is spoken in Elvish (because I suck at life and couldn't write the ACTUAL Elvish phrases).**  
><strong>

Alright so now that we've mentioned that, let's get on with the story, shall we?

So in honor of today's worldwide premiere of _The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five_ _Armies_, in London and Wellington (and my country's national day - for which I am super happy and I wish a very **Happy Birthday/National Day** to all the Romanians who found their way onto this website), here is the second chapter of my story.

The previous one got way more views than I had anticipated and I would like to give all of you darlings a huge hug for it. Now some of you favorited, some are now followers and some have even reviewed. No matter, all of you have my eternal love and gratitude for enjoying my work.

Now I don't know when the movie's coming out in my country, if it was today, if it's gonna be next week or ten years from now. Also, with how busy college has been keeping me (seriously, most of this story was written **DURING CLASS**), I have no idea if I'll even get the time to go see the movie in theaters, so it might be a good while before I actually get to watch the movie. So guys... go vote on my profile and let me know your opinion, because it matters! It will influence how often I update the story so **IT MATTERS** darlings!

But for now enjoy, lovelies, and don't forget to toss me a little review to let me know everything going through your head. I promise I don't bite! :D

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><strong><span>2. An unexpected savior<span>**

_Mere moments afterwards, a light tug on her dress made her aware that Bilbo was there._

_"Come, master Hobbit..." she whispered. "I am sure you could use a warm bed after everything you have been through."_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

Two days had passed since the Dwarves had been imprisoned by Thranduil and the king seemed to not have given it too much thought. Faelwen, instead, had spent some time talking to Balin and he had confirmed everything Gandalf had told her in his message. Thorin had refused to say even a word to her; clearly he was still seething from his meeting with Thranduil.

That morning she was heading to the dungeons to check on the prisoners again, while Thranduil and all the Elves who weren't tasked with guarding various places in the kingdom were celebrating the Feast of Starlight, which was set to end soon. Halfway to the dungeons, however, she was met by a very concerned Tauriel.

"My Lady... the prisoners... they're gone."

Glancing over the red haired Elf's shoulder and spotting the empty cells, Faelwen then looked to the guards gathered nearby.

_**"****Spread out! Check every corner, every room! Tauriel, take some of the men and check the cellars. I have a hunch you'll find the keeper of the keys there."**_

With a nod, the female now rushed toward the cellars with three guards in tow. Turning on her heels, Faelwen instead ran back up the stairs to seek out Legolas and inform him of the fugitives. Once more entering the celebration hall, she walked straight for the king's throne.

_**"****My Lord... may I please borrow your son for a while?"**_ she whispered when the Sindar king raised his blue gaze to her.

Silently nodding to Legolas who had been seated at his side, the male then offered a reply, seemingly triggered by the fact that she was wearing her hunting attire.

_**"****If you're going into the forest, be careful."**_

_**"****Nothing will happen to her." **_Legolas stated. _**"I'll make sure of that."**_

Once more nodding, the king then waved his hand dismissively. Upon leaving the hall, the blond prince finally voiced his curiosity.

_**"****What is it? You seem troubled..."**_

_**"****The prisoners escaped. Tauriel just informed me." **_she whispered.

For a split second Legolas' expression betrayed nothing but sheer awe, before his dark brows lowered into a frown and he clenched his jaw. It actually made Faelwen wonder if she had done the right thing to tell him. However, there was no other choice; they had to get those Dwarves back before they got themselves killed by the guards at the border, or by something worse.

_**"****Follow me."**_ he ordered when they passed by one of the guards.

It wasn't long before the three of them rushed out onto one of the stone terraces only to see the Dwarves floating down river in the empty barrels which the cellar keepers were supposed to have sent back to Esgaroth during the evening. Almost immediately Faelwen spotted Bilbo among them, hanging on for dear life to one of the barrels.

_'You fools...'_ she mused.

Why had they made that rash decision? It would only worsen their situation, once they were captured again.

_**"****Close the gate!"**_ Legolas said to the Elf who had followed him and Faelwen.

When the young male blew the horn he was carrying, the guards standing watch at the dam marking that border of Thranduil's kingdom now rushed to take battle positions while one of them pulled the large lever and closed the gates just as the barrels arrived there. Meanwhile Legolas had returned inside to rally a small group of Elves and retrieve the prisoners. Faelwen, however, had rushed toward the dam along with Tauriel. Upon arriving there, they were met with the horrid image of a pack of Orcs slaughtering the guards and attempting to kill the unarmed Dwarves.

Without a second thought Faelwen jumped right into the fight, sparing the life of the last guard by slashing the throat of the Orc that was trying to attack him from behind. Her focus was distorted, however, when the one who seemed to lead the pack shot an arrow into Kili's leg just as the Dwarf was about to pull the lever and open the gates, and the boy fell to the ground with a painful shout. Taking advantage of that, one of the Orcs now grabbed her by the throat, his large hand almost instantly obstructing her airways. With Tauriel busy fighting off the other Orcs and the last guard dead, Faelwen attempted to retrieve one of her blades and try to get free, but the Orc was faster. When he smashed her into a tree, she thought she would faint on the spot. The pain which shot straight into the back of her head made her want to scream, but with the Orc's hand around her throat she couldn't even draw air for that.

It was in the moment when she had resigned herself to death at the hands of that scum, that an arrow shot from somewhere to her right impaled the Orc's head. Coughing and gasping for air when the creature's hold loosened as he fell to the ground dead, Faelwen leaned against the tree to let her head clear, only to be startled when Legolas rushed to her side and grasped her shoulder.

_**"Are you alright?"**_ he asked.

While she nodded, Kili made use of that moment of distraction to finally pull the lever. Managing to drag himself to the edge and jump back into an empty barrel, the Elves were left to watch as their prisoners now floated downstream. When the Orc pack rushed after them, Faelwen looked to the group who was watching her and Legolas expecting orders.

_**"****Follow them! Bring them down! Bring all of them down!"**_ she shouted, before dashing in pursue of the Orcs.

Though he had wanted to order otherwise, Legolas found that he now had no other choice. While he sometimes disliked her rash decisions, perhaps no one understood her hatred of Orcs better than him... after all _he_ had been there when Elladan and Elrohir had returned one night from their search for her parents, bringing back their lifeless bodies... they had been ambushed by Orcs and slain while they were returning from Lothlórien. _He_ had seen how devastated she had been; _he_ had taken upon himself the painfully slow process of piecing her heart back together and getting her back on her feet.

_**"****You heard her!"**_ he ordered.

With that, he too took to the trees to follow Faelwen's lead, the rest of the group soon joining them. A desperate race began once they caught up with the Orcs and the barrels floating at the whims of the river. The Orcs were numerous enough that they could keep attempting to slay the Dwarves while some of them fended off the Elves, although many of them fell to the merciless barrage of arrows that their hunters fired ceaselessly. The Elves' hunt came to an abrupt end, however, when they reached the very edges of Thranduil's kingdom. Half of the Orc pack was still in pursuit of the Dwarves, but Legolas was unmoving this time in his decision to return to the halls of his father with the Orc they had taken captive.

_**"****We have done all we could for them... come..."**_

His gentle tone startled Faelwen who was still looking down river where the barrels and the Orcs had disappeared.

_**"****I'm going for a walk... I need to be alone for a while."**_ she finally said, after a lengthy silence.

_**"****Don't get into trouble."**_ Legolas replied, despite being quite hesitant about letting her go on her own.

Offering him a brief smile, the female then vanished into the greenery while Legolas rallied his group and ordered them back to Thranduil's halls. Once she was sure they couldn't see her anymore, she now rushed along the river, hoping with all her heart that she would arrive in time to save at least some of the Dwarves from certain death. Some hours later she passed by the Orc pack, but oddly enough the barrels were nowhere to be seen. She would have thought they had all been slaughtered, had the Orcs not been rushing down the river clearly still in pursue of their victims.

_**'**Thank you...'_

Her thought, while directed to the Valar, was also in gratitude for the river which had proven much faster than the Orc pack. Deciding to leave the Orcs alone for the moment – not that she could have taken them all down by herself, should they have noticed her – she rushed ahead. Fortunately, she knew those woods well enough by now that she could move through the trees as swiftly as a squirrel. It wouldn't be too long before she caught up with the Dwarves, hopefully before anyone or anything killed them.

**oOoOo**

"Anything behind us?" Thorin called out.

"Not that I can see!" Balin replied.

"I think we've outrun the Orcs..." Bofur cheered.

"Not for long... we've lost the current." Thorin frowned.

By now they had reached the end of the river, where its waters calmly trailed along the banks until they spilled into the Long Lake. Once all of them had made it onto the rocky riverbank, Thorin gave the order to keep moving.

"To where?" Balin asked.

"To the Mountain..." Bilbo replied. "We're so close..."

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We've no way to cross it."

"So then we go round..."

"We'll be run down by Orcs, sure as daylight. We've no weapons to defend ourselves..." Dwalin retorted.

Ultimately giving in to Fili's words when he said that Kili was wounded, Thorin allowed them a brief respite. They had barely gotten a few minutes of rest when Dwalin noticed what appeared to be a Man, aiming his arrow at Ori. His attempt to defend the young Dwarf was rendered useless when the stranger fired the arrow right in the middle of the stick Dwalin was carrying, breaking it in half. The same thing happened to Kili, who had been aiming to throw a rock at their assailant.

"Do it again... and you're dead." the male replied while stringing a third arrow in the longbow he was holding.

While it wasn't his nature to kill without reason, he would definitely slay them if he had to. However, when some of the Dwarves now glanced past him and arched their brows, he realized there was someone behind him. Whirling around, he found the sharp tip of an arrow aimed right between his eyes.

"I would not do that, if I were you."

Finally looking past the steel head of the arrow he found himself stunned in his realization... a woman? It was only when he lowered his bow and she stepped back, that he noticed her pointy ears, her fair skin and that familiar sort of unearthly beauty... a she-Elf; at least that explained how she had approached him from behind without him hearing anything.

"These Dwarves are in my care..." she replied to his inquisitive frown.

Deciding to not risk another escalation of the situation, Balin now stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but you're from Lake-town... if I'm not mistaken." he said to the male. "That barge over there... it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

Without a word, the male began gathering the empty barrels and loading them onto his barge.

"What makes you think I would help you?" he finally replied.

Smiling briefly at the fact that he seemed willing to speak at last, Balin approached him.

"Those boots have seen better days... as has that coat... no doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed."

Knowing by the Man's expression that he was right, the Dwarf now pressed on.

"How many dears?"

"A boy and two girls..."

"And your wife, I imagine, she's a beauty."

Straightening his posture and momentarily glancing to the sky, the male heaved a sigh.

"Aye... she was..."

Humor died on Balin's lips at the male's painful glance, and even Faelwen found herself impressed; she knew too well how hard it was to raise a child alone. After all, Elrond had raised his children alone after his wife's passing... and then her, after she was orphaned.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." Balin stuttered.

"Oh, come on..." Dwalin muttered. "Enough of the niceties..."

"What's your hurry?" the Man now asked.

Despite the shade of smile on his lips, Faelwen could tell from his gaze that he was still wary of them.

"What's it to you?" the Dwarf retorted.

"I would like to know who you are..." the male smiled. "And what you are doing in these lands."

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains..." Balin smiled. "Journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills."

Offering him a somewhat sarcastic smile, the Man now took to loading the last barrel onto the barge.

"Simple merchants, you say..."

"We need food, supplies, weapons..." Thorin finally said. "Can you help us?"

He almost gulped when the Man placed a hand to one of the spots where the barrel had been damaged by the Orcs' arrows.

"I know where these barrels came from..."

"What of it?" Thorin asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the Elves... but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Lake-town but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm."

Gathering up the rope which was keeping the barge tied to the dock, he threw it in Balin's arms.

"He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of king Thranduil."

"I am here on behalf of king Thranduil." Faelwen finally said. "He will not cease trade with Esgaroth for a handful of Dwarves."

"I don't know much about Elves... but I do know you don't fancy Dwarves."

At those words Faelwen found that she had to bite her tongue, in order to hold back from smiling. He was proving to be quite witty for a Man; then again, she couldn't say she knew much about their kin. The only one she'd ever really known was Aragorn... apparently there were others like him in the vastness of the world.

"I'll wager there are ways to get into that town unseen." Balin suddenly said.

"Aye..." the Man replied whilst setting his bow and quiver at the back of the barge. "But for that you would need a smuggler..."

"For which we would pay... double."

Staring at Balin for a few moments, the male finally exhaled a soft sigh; it was true that he needed the money they offered, but at the same time he probably wouldn't have been able to sleep at night, had he abandoned them there.

**oOoOo**

"So what is your name?"

Taken aback to finally hear the female's voice, the Man now looked to her as she stood at the back of the barge with him.

"Bard..." he finally replied.

Lightly narrowing her eyes in thought, she offered a nod... she'd heard of similar names, but never in Esgaroth.

"Bard..." she muttered.

Blinking at his puzzled frown, she shook her head and smiled.

"I am Faelwen."

"It suits you." he stated with almost no hesitation.

"You... know what that means?" Bilbo asked.

He'd been standing nearby and had actually meant to ask the male about his name, but Faelwen had beaten him to it.

"I know some Elvish... back when I was a child, king Thranduil's men often came down to the lakeside, especially during summer. My father was the bargeman who gathered the empty barrels at the time, and I came to help him."

Momentarily staring out into the thick mist covering the lake, he spoke again just when Bilbo was about to ask him to tell them more. He'd always displayed an ardent curiosity regarding Elves, since he'd been a child, and anyone who could tell him things that he didn't yet know was worth listening to.

"I used to talk to them while my father gathered the barrels. Sometimes I stayed there until dawn and listened to songs and tales. Half a year after my first encounter with them, I learned enough to greet them in Elvish. They were quite pleasantly surprised and took to teaching me the language. But then my father died a year later and I stopped coming here until a few years ago when I took up my father's task. By the time I returned, however, the Elves had already stopped coming down the river."

"Why did they stop?" Bilbo asked, looking up to Faelwen.

Briefly glancing to the Hobbit, the young woman then looked out into the surrounding mists.

"Because in the past years a heavy darkness has fallen over the Greenwood... a sickness that spreads from Dol Guldur. Legolas told me that when he captured the Dwarves, they'd almost been eaten by spiders."

"Yes... we were..." the Halfling muttered, a shudder crossing his small body as he recalled those terrible creatures.

"That is but a taste of the dark power which took residence in that fortress to the South. Elves have become wary and fearful of venturing too far into the forest. The place at the edge of the lake, where Bard gathered us, is well outside Thranduil's borders. No Elf would make that journey nowadays, except at the utmost end of need."

"Then why are you here?" Bard asked.

Startled by the question, Faelwen turned her azure eyes to the Man only to be met with his gaze which instantly told her he had read more in her words than she'd meant to say.

"The Dwarves are in my care, as I said before." she replied.

Though he fell silent, Bard frowned suspiciously at her in a way that quite reminded her of Thranduil – which wasn't a good sign, considering the king was always able to read well into the words spoken to him, sometimes guessing even things that the speaker did not wish to reveal.

"Watch out!" Bofur suddenly shouted.

His cry, while alarming the other Dwarves, Bilbo and Faelwen, failed to startle Bard who merely steered the barge to the side so as to avoid what seemed to be part of the ruins of a once great city.

"What are you trying to do?" Thorin snapped at him. "Drown us?"

"I was born and bred on these waters, master Dwarf." the Man retorted. "If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."

"Oh, I've had it with this lippy lake Man." Dwalin muttered. "I say we throw him overboard and be done with him."

"Oh, Bard... his name is Bard." Bilbo stated, having returned among the Dwarven Company.

"How do you know?" Bofur asked.

"Uh... Faelwen asked him." the Hobbit replied, slightly sarcastically.

"I don't care what he calls himself..." Dwalin retorted. "I don't like him."

"You don't have to like him." Balin said while counting the coins they had gathered as payment for Bard. "We simply have to pay him."

"And how do we know he won't betray us?"

"We don't..." Thorin whispered, shooting a wary glance to Bard who didn't seem to hear their words.

Just a few moments later Bard finally moved away from steering the barge and approached the group.

"The money, quick... give it to me." he said.

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, and not before." Thorin retorted.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead..."

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Love, you have no idea how happy I am that you loved it and that you were also the very first to review for it. You're just way too awesome for this world :D

And I'm sorry I didn't get to put too much of Thranduil into this story so far, but it should get better in the chapters that describe the actual battle before the gates of Erebor, as well as the chapters preceding the actual battle. I'll do my best to squeeze Thranduil in there a bit more ;) (wow that actually sounded kinda dirty... or maybe my mind's just in the gutter xD)

2. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967** - Aww thank you so much for this short and sweet review, darling. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as well and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again soon :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	3. The Man of the lake

Another thing I forgot to mention, darlings (please don't hate me for it xD) is that **Faelwen** means _fair maiden_. And that is the literal meaning of that name, it's not a made up explanation ;D

So I'm getting very excited to see that this story is getting some traction and that I'm not the only _Hobbit_ fan out there. But I'm not gonna rant about it, I'll just let you enjoy this new chapter.

Don't forget to toss me a little review, lovelies~ :D

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>3. The Man of the lake<span>**

_"The money, quick... give it to me."_

_"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, and not before." Thorin retorted._

_"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead..."_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

"Quiet!" Bard ordered, lightly kicking one of the barrels – now full of fish to the brim – from which moans and grunts could be heard. "We're approaching the Toll Gate."

He had come up with the brilliant idea of hiding the Dwarves and Bilbo inside the barrels; so as to get them into the city unseen, however, he had used part of the money they had paid him to buy enough fish to fill all fourteen wooden containers, so as to discourage anyone from being tempted to look inside.

"They'll certainly need a bath when all this is over." Faelwen muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the stench of fish surrounding them.

It was now that she found herself truly grateful that they didn't have a spare barrel for her; the thought of her clothes and hair reeking so horribly was enough to send a shiver along her spine.

"Better a bath, than being arrested." Bard replied.

Smiling at his reply, the female glanced at the gate which blocked their path.

"Halt!" a rather cheerful male voice called out from inside the small cabin placed upon the dock. "Goods inspection! Papers please..."

Upon stepping outside and seeing Bard jumping onto the dock, the elder man smiled.

"Oh... it's you, Bard. Anything to declare?"

His voice died out, however, when his eyes fell onto Faelwen. Following his gaze, Bard glanced over to the woman with a spark of concern in his eyes.

"Morning, Percy." he finally replied, startling the old man. "Nothing... that I am cold and tired... and ready for home."

"You and me both." Percy said tearing himself away from staring at what he assumed was an Elf.

Placing a seal onto the paper that the bargeman had given to him, he then offered it back to Bard with a smile.

"There we are... all in order..."

It was at that moment, when Bard reached out to retrieve the paper, that another male tore it away from Percy's grasp.

"Not... so... fast..." he said on a tone that made Faelwen lightly frown.

In truth, his whole appearance disturbed her; a skulking, hunchback, short statured male garbed in black from head to toe, his expression revealing nothing but malicious intent. Clearly he was a man you could not trust... most likely one of those people who had a good penchant for spying and betrayal.

"Consignment of empty barrels, from the Woodland Realm." he read out loud before tossing the paper behind him. "Only... they're not empty... are they, Bard?"

Judging by the bargeman's expression Faelwen could tell he was already used to the other man's attempts at incriminating him of possibly whatever fault he could conjure. Indeed, he now reached into the nearest barrel and retrieved a fish.

"If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman... not a fisherman." he said mockingly, holding the fish in Bard's face.

"That's none of your business."

"Wrong. It's the Master's business... which makes it my business."

"Oh, come on, Alfrid... have a heart. People need to eat!" Bard retorted.

"These fish are illegal." he replied, tossing the one he was holding into the lake. "Empty the barrels over the side."

At his words, two of the guards who had arrived there with him moved onto the barge.

"The folk in this town are struggling... times are hard... food is scarce." Bard said in an attempt at dissuading the guards.

"That's not my problem." Alfrid spat out.

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake? When the rioting starts... will it be your problem then?"

Gritting his teeth at the bargeman's threat, Alfrid finally raised his hand and ordered the guards to stop.

"Ever the people's champion, eh Bard? Protector of the common folk... you might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last."

When he turned to leave, however, he finally spotted Faelwen; apparently he had been so focused on trying to frame Bard that he had even failed to notice her.

"Bringing stowaways into the city now, Bard?" he grinned, clearly pleased that he had finally found a reason to incriminate the bargeman.

At that, Bard was finally left without a good answer; after all, what in the world could he say that would justify Faelwen's unexpected presence there? His heart now skipped a beat when he felt the female grasping his arm as she stepped to his side.

"I am his lover... and it was I who insisted that he take me along. I wished to visit Esgaroth."

She couldn't tell what in the world had come over her to make her say that, but it was the best idea she could come up with on such short notice. Fortunately Alfrid and the guards had been too busy gawking in shock, to notice Bard who was staring at her in a similar state.

"I knew you'd find yourself another woman one day, Bard." Percy smiled. "I must say, though, I didn't expect you'd find yourself an Elf."

"It was rather... sudden..." Bard stuttered lightly, trying his best to play along and make it seem as if it wasn't anything new to him.

When Alfrid finally recovered and went to speak, Faelwen now pinned him down with a scrutinizing glance and a frown.

"Do not dare to try and threaten me, human." she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. "You would do well to not treat me as one of your Master's subjects while I am here, lest you wish to incur king Thranduil's wrath."

Swallowing his words at that, Alfrid finally turned to leave whilst gritting his teeth again.

"Raise the gate!" Percy called out, a smile playing on his lips.

However, once Bard had gotten back onto the barge to steer it into the city Alfrid whirled around to face them again.

"The Master has his eye on you... you would do well to remember." he spat out at Bard. "We know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfrid." the bargeman replied humorously. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

**oOoOo**

They were about halfway to Bard's house – after the bargeman had paid the caretaker at the dock to keep his mouth shut about the Dwarves – when a boy met them as he rushed from around a corner. With the striking resemblance, Faelwen was instantly convinced that was Bard's son even before the boy spoke.

"Da, our house... it's being watched." he said on a low tone.

Clearly the bargeman hadn't expected that – or perhaps he had, but was now concerned as to what he should do with the Dwarves. Finally he turned to them after seemingly coming up with a plan.

"You'll need to follow us through the lake. Stay beneath the piers."

Even Faelwen arched her brows in awe at Bard's words; judging by the pieces of ice floating on the surface, that water was likely freezing. Not to mention the group was still soaked to the bone from their trip down the river. Ultimately the desire to not be captured overcame the Dwarves' reluctance to get wet again; Bilbo was the only one who went into the lake against his will. After all, Hobbits were known for their lack of skill at swimming... he could only hope he wouldn't drown before he even reached Bard's house. The only one spared from such a fate was Faelwen; Alfrid had likely already informed the Master of her presence, thus there was no reason to hide her.

Stopping by the market on the way to buy food so they would have what to feed the Company with, the two now accompanied Bain – as Faelwen had learned Bard's son was named – to their house. Almost immediately she could tell that all four males stationed around the house were there to spy, despite seemingly being engaged in casual daily activities like fishing or lighting a pipe. Their skills might have been good enough to fool a human, but they were laughable to the keen eyes of an Elf. Once they had ascended the steps leading to the stilt house where Bard lived, Bain went inside while his father stopped and glanced over the rail to the two men fishing on the water below. Whistling to draw their attention, he threw an apple in one's lap.

"You can tell the Master I'm done for the day."

Yet again Faelwen found herself impressed by his wit and keen eyes – quite pleasantly so, in fact. When he looked to her and motioned her to enter, the she-Elf was met with the sight of a small but tidy and comfortable-looking wooden house. A girl was standing before the stove, apparently in the middle of preparing a meal, while a much younger one – likely no older than six or seven springs – was folding some clothes on the bed.

"Da!" she cried joyfully upon sighting Bard, before running into his arms.

"I'm back, Tilda." he smiled, stroking her hair.

"Father, there you are." the elder one smiled, alerted by her sister's call. "I was worried."

Embracing her as well, Bard now handed her the bag he had been carrying.

"Here, Sigrid..."

Glancing out the window he then nodded to the boy.

"Bain, get them in."

Watching curiously as their brother helped the Dwarves and Bilbo to climb up onto the small dock beneath the house, Sigrid arched her brows.

"Da? Why are there Dwarves climbing out of our toilet?"

Widening her eyes with a smile, Tilda looked to her father.

"Will they bring us luck?" she asked.

Unable to hold back a chuckle, Faelwen finally spoke on a humorous tone.

"Hopefully more than they could bring to themselves."

After all, it wasn't like Thorin's group had had too much luck until then; almost eaten by spiders, captured by the Elves, almost slaughtered by Orcs, buried under dead fish and now climbing into a house through the toilet – not even mentioning the other trouble they had almost certainly been through before arriving in Mirkwood. That definitely didn't rank anywhere near her idea of _good luck_. At least their trip through the lake had washed away the stench of fish. Tilda's giggle interrupted her train of thought, however, drawing her attention to the girl's words as she smiled up at her father.

"Da, I like her... she's funny."

Without waiting for Bard's reply, she rushed over to the Elf and set her big sapphire eyes upon Faelwen's fair countenance.

"What's your name? How old are you? You don't look much older than my sister... do you come from Mirkwood? What's the Elf king like?"

"Slow down there..." Faelwen chuckled, crouching before the girl. "I'll answer all your questions, if you ask them one at a time."

"Oh, sorry..." she giggled. "Da told me about the Elves he met when he was my age. I really like those stories. Do you know any stories?"

"I know a few." the she-Elf winked, much to the girl's delight. "But first things first; my name is Faelwen. As for my age... I'm not sure you actually want to know how old I am. But I can tell you that I'm much older than your sister... or your father, for that matter."

Widening her eyes in awe, Tilda gawked at the woman before her.

"So it's true? Can Elves really live for many centuries and still look young?"

"Yes, they can..." Faelwen nodded.

When Bilbo finally entered the house shivering and dripping of water, the woman moved to stand.

"I'll tell you more, later..." she promised before motioning to Bilbo and the Dwarves. "We should help them warm up, for now."

**oOoOo**

"A Dwarvish windlance..."

An hour had passed since they had arrived at Bard's house and Bilbo was still trying to warm up in the two thick blankets Faelwen had wrapped around him and with the hot tea Sigrid had provided. Yet amidst the sounds of his chattering teeth he managed to hear Thorin's awed whisper as the Dwarf prince glanced out through a window left ajar.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." he replied, casting a look at the contraption set upon the highest building in the city.

"He has..." came Balin's voice from behind, startling the Hobbit. "The last time we saw such a weapon... a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came; the day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowmen to fire upon the beast."

His voice briefly faltered as the sorrow of that memory came back to him, until he was startled to feel Faelwen's hand weighing down on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. With the she-Elf averting her gaze out the window toward the ancient weapon, Balin went on with his tale.

"But a dragon's hide is tough... tougher than the strongest armor. Only a Black Arrow fired from a windlance could've pierced the dragon's hide. And few of those arrows were ever made... the store was running low when Girion made his last stand."

"Had the aim of Men been true that day... much would have been different." Thorin finally said with a bitter smile on his lips.

It was then that Bard finally approached them with a gaze which to Faelwen seemed suspicious and impressed at the same time; an odd, but very pleasant combination which in turn aroused her own suspicions... just who was their unexpected rescuer? His name sounded too familiar to her ears, for her to believe he was indeed of Lake-town.

"You speak as though you were there." he said, his half-whispered tone sending an unfamiliar twinge through the female's heart.

Inwardly she actually felt like slapping herself; this was no time for her to start thinking of silly things, although she could not deny that she would have enjoyed hearing him speak to her on that tone.

"All Dwarves know the tale." Thorin replied, snapping the she-Elf out of that reverie.

"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon." Bain now said, stepping to his father's side. "He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

"That's a fairy story, lad..." Dwalin said gently, with a bittersweet chuckle. "Nothing more."

"You took our money." the dark haired prince now said, apparently losing his patience. "Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here..." Bard finally replied, after a moment of silently staring down the Dwarf.

Once he had left the house, Faelwen reached to grasp Thorin's shoulder with a light frown darkening her fair features.

"You could stand to be a bit more courteous. Without him, you would be fighting Orcs barehanded by now... if you would not be dead already." she hissed on a low tone.

"She's right, lad." Balin agreed somewhat reluctantly.

"Oh, come on..." Dwalin protested.

"I second that." Bilbo chimed in, cutting him off. "Bard risked his own freedom to help us when he didn't have to."

Upon his return, the young Man again had to face the Dwarves' ungratefulness when they refused the makeshift weapons he presented them with.

"You won't find better outside the city armory." he replied on a tone which to Faelwen's trained ears betrayed that he was finally starting to lose his patience. "All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key."

"Thorin... why not take this offer and go?" Balin suggested. "I've made due with less... so have you."

Staring at the dark haired Dwarf when Balin stated his name, Bard then raised his gaze to meet the she-Elf's who had by now narrowed her eyes at him in thought. Yes, he definitely was familiar with Thorin's name... but why? How?

"I say we leave now." Balin stated.

"You're not going anywhere!" Bard retorted, apparently having finally reached the end of his good mood.

"What did you say?" Dwalin growled.

"There are spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town. You must wait till nightfall."

With the Dwarves settling down, the male now once more stepped outside leaving Faelwen to glance in his wake with concern upon her expression.

"Maybe you should go talk to him..."

Startled at the Hobbit's voice, the she-Elf glanced downward to see Bilbo standing next to her still wrapped in one of the blankets.

"Well... so far you seem to have been able to talk to him the most..." he replied in the face of her inquisitive gaze.

Offering him a slight smile, she now sighted Kili holding his leg whilst seated on one of the wooden benches. Deciding to forsake Bard for the moment she instead approached the young Dwarf and crouched before him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine..." he nodded, doing his best to cover the bleeding wound with his large hand. "Don't worry about me."

To his credit he even managed a smile at the last words, despite the pain wracking his body. And much to his relief the Elf returned his nod before standing and making her way to the door.

"Faelwen..." the Man smiled warmly, upon seeing her stepping outside where he was leaning against the wooden rail.

Shutting the door behind her, the female found that she actually had to fight back a blush beneath his turquoise gaze and in the face of that charming smile playing on his lips; it was indeed a feat that no other man alive could boast.

"I... I am sorry for earlier..." she said with a light sigh, wrapping her arms around herself. "They are just very tense... they have been through a lot of misfortunes before arriving here."

"And they sent you to make their apologies?"

Staring at him for a moment, utterly taken aback by his jesting tone, the she-Elf finally felt her blush slipping out of her control and warming up her cheeks.

"No, I... I just wanted to let you know that you have my gratitude for all your help."

With her eyes now fixed on the floor between them, as she usually did when feeling flustered in front of someone, she was startled to suddenly see him approaching her; looking up to meet his light frown the woman now realized that something was amiss.

"Spies..." he whispered urgently.

Her attempt at glancing around to spot them was thwarted when she felt one of his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, while he pressed the other hand to the back of her head, bringing their lips together.

If anyone had asked her what she felt in that moment, she would have first said that she had no idea... and then that she felt her lungs releasing a breath she hadn't even known she was holding in, in the form of a soft sigh... that her eyes had widened while his never looked into hers, but somewhere over her shoulder... and that her heart had started racing so fast that she could hear nothing else around.

Mere moments later Bard went to lean back with the intention of apologizing for such a sudden act, only to find his gaze drawn from the spot where the pair of males had vanished behind a corner of the building across the water, to her stern gaze... and it took him a moment to realize that she had grabbed onto his coat with both hands to hold him in place; and his jaw clenched as he anticipated her wrath, but he would endure it... he definitely deserved it.

Silence lingered on between them in the tense air; neither moved, neither spoke... he could feel the slender curve of her waist beneath his palms and couldn't deny that he missed having a woman to call his own; she felt the outline of his torso – the muscles hardened by years of struggle and hardships – against her stomach and chest; she saw the fine lines of his features, despite his aged appearance brought on by the hard life he had lived, and couldn't deny that she found him to be more beautiful than the fairest Elf.

And still...

"That was my first kiss, bargeman... you owe me a better one." she stated, earning one of his most sincerely awed expressions.

Before his mind could come up with a reply to such an unexpected demand, he felt the tug on his coat and the way her lithe body shifted beneath his hands when she leaned up... and then he once more felt the velvety warmth of her lips against his own. It was his eyes that went wide this time, but only for a moment... his loneliness and longing for the gentle touch of a woman caught up with him soon enough, driving him to lean forward and eagerly delve into that dream.

For that was what he believed it to be... nothing more than a good dream. Yet he somehow felt so at peace... and warmer inside than he had felt in years... and, if he were to be honest, he felt something else taking root in his heart now that he was holding her so tightly and devouring her sweet lips with almost animalistic hunger. And she did not disappoint him: she didn't recoil, nor did she get frightened by his sudden possessive approach... instead she relished in it and set her arms about his neck... and he felt more wanted, in that one moment, than ever before.

And it was now that he finally understood the tales heard as a child from the Elves themselves; tales of Men... of Dwarves... of Elves... tales of innocent longing and burning desire... tales of enchanting encounters in magical forests... tales of love for Elf maidens... fairest and most beautiful of all women in Middle Earth. And upon that thought he parted their lips... and set his forehead against hers... and then pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek... and – on a longing sigh – whispered what he had believed he would never say to another woman after his wife's passing.

"Say you'll be mine..."

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - To be honest, I always get that feeling when I have to re-read one of my works. It feels so familiar, yet so new at the same time... it's really strange.

But really, without your unshakable support I probably wouldn't have started uploading this story. I may have continued it at some point, but I probably would've considered it too crappy to make it public. But your excitement as you read each new chapter and all the love you poured onto this story just gave me that last push I needed.

So thank you, darling, for being so supportive of me and all my crazy times, and for being so encouraging and so generous in dedicating your time to my stories, and for being such a great friend.

2. **Guest** - Aww thank you so much for the humbling compliment. It always makes me happier than people probably imagine, when someone tells me that they enjoy my work. It's such a great feeling to know that I'm not the only one who likes what I write (even though most of the time I hate my works more than I love them xD).

But for now I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I'm hoping to hear from you again soon, darling :D

3. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967** - Thank you so much for the review, darling. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as well and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again soon :D

4. **Rossi's Lil Devil** - Haha well it was about time he got a girl, wasn't it? ;)

And Bard is such a great character and he's been so underused in the book, so I tried to do him justice at least a bit. But really I am so happy to hear that you're enjoying the story so far and I hope it will keep living up to your expectations in the chapters to come.

Thank you so much for this lovely and heartwarming review, darling, and I hope to hear from you again soon :D

5. **Guest** - Aww I'm so glad to hear you love the pairing. I was a bit iffy about whether I should make her a Human or an Elf, but it's done with a purpose. Bard is pretty much _The Hobbit_'s Aragorn... and I wanted to make the parallel go all the way, so Faelwen came out.

But I'm really so happy that you're enjoying the beginning of this adventure and I hope you'll enjoy the coming chapters as well and that I'll hear from you again soon :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	4. Thrice welcome

So another thing I forgot to mention...

Just kidding, darlings. I will say one thing though: if you happen to notice any similarities between the Bard/Faelwen pairing and the Aragorn/Arwen pairing... they're intentional. And I do plan to take the parallel all the way, because as I mentioned before, Bard is _The Hobbit_'s version of Aragorn, so a parallel was imminent.

Well I really don't know what else to rant about, so I'll just go ahead and let you guys enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to toss me a little review to let me know how much you love/hate it :D

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>4. Thrice welcome<span>**

_And upon that thought he parted their lips... [...] and – on a longing sigh – whispered what he had believed he would never say to another woman after his wife's passing._

_"Say you'll be mine..."_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

_What?_

Had he actually said that out loud? Had he _really_ gotten so lost in the moment that he'd spoken out his thoughts like that?

"No..." he whispered again.

Just what had come over him to say that to _her_? To an Elf, of all people...

"Pay me no heed..." he said in the face of her puzzled expression.

In his attempt at avoiding her gaze, his eyes were drawn to the jewel around her neck. Why couldn't he bring himself to step away? To just remove his arms from around her slender waist and let her go?

"And why should I not?"

Her sudden question had his gaze dart back up to hers only to be met with her slightly narrowed eyes as she contemplated the reasons behind such an unexpected reaction from him. Ultimately his own expression settled down and he found himself unable to hold back from reaching to slide the calloused print of his thumb along her rosy cheek, the smoothness of her skin softer than anything else he had ever set his hands upon.

"Because I am mortal..." he finally replied, the corners of his lips curving into a bittersweet smile. "And though calling you my own would be like living a dream for the rest of my life, a few decades is infinitely less than what you deserve."

He was already nearing his fourth decade of life, and for a Man that was often the half length of his lifespan. The time he could offer was nothing compared to the eternity that an Elf could give her. It was at his words that she softened her features into a warm smile and reached to grasp his hand, placing his palm to her cheek.

"Sometimes... the best things are not those that last forever." she replied, recalling what her mother had taught her. "Sometimes there is more beauty and happiness to be found in a word..."

Now reaching out she gingerly trailed her fingertips along his cheek.

"In a touch..."

Averting her gaze from his for a moment, she closed her eyes and turned her head to place a kiss to his palm before once again looking up at him.

"In a kiss... than in eternity..."

With another smile she reached to trace the almost invisible line left on his forehead by a shallow wrinkle.

"The race of Men is such a fortunate kin... everything is more beautiful for you _because_ you are doomed to a limited existence. Eternity is often such a scary thing. But you... you live each day as if it would be your last."

Lowering her hand so as to let him get an unobstructed view of her face, she now spoke again.

"You believe yourself unworthy of me?"

"What mortal could be so bold as to claim that he is worthy of perfection?" Bard finally stated. "When I met the mother of my children, I believed I had found that perfection... and yet now I see how wrong I was. I loved her more than my own life and I still do... however, no perennial beauty can compare with eternity."

"And would you have me? If I denied your request and paid heed to you... would you have me... despite feeling unworthy?"

An amused, half-whispered huff left the male at that inquiry, and he grasped her hand bringing it to his lips and etching a gentle kiss upon her skin.

"It would be a lie if I denied that you have stirred in me feelings I believed to be long dead; that you have made me say things I believed I would never say again; that you have made me feel more alive than I have felt in years... and more wanted than I have _ever_ felt."

Once more reaching out, he set both hands onto her cheeks and smiled with a gaze that betrayed a sorrowful resignation.

"But it cannot be... I do not wish to believe that the Valar created you with the purpose of wasting your beauty on a mere mortal."

When she blinked as tears twinkled in her sky blue eyes, and lowered her gaze, Bard leaned to press a loving kiss to her forehead. He too could feel the telltale knot in his throat – one he had not felt since the day of his wife's passing – and pressed his eyelids together whilst clenching his jaw, to hold back the salty drops. To finally find a woman who would make him feel alive again, after so many years... and to be unable to have her... it made him feel as though someone was trying to crush his heart in an iron glove.

Allowing silence to linger between them whilst he settled himself down, the bargeman ultimately leaned back again.

"I will confide in you... that my heart warns me to be cautious with the Dwarves you travel alongside."

Seeing the way her expression changed, he lightly narrowed his eyes and – gingerly grasping her chin – forced her to look at him when she tried to avert her gaze.

"Who is Thorin? He is more than a mere merchant, as they said." he asked gently.

It was now that Faelwen was torn in between her desire to keep Thorin's quest a secret – as Balin had asked her to – and her desire to not lie to Bard. And before she even realized it her gaze darted from his eyes over his shoulder, to the silhouette of Erebor, which appeared in the thick mist as an ominous, distant shadow. Furrowing his brow when a cold shiver ran down his spine, the male finally released her and turned to follow her gaze to the mountain.

"It cannot be..." he whispered, his eyes widening. "Thorin..."

It was then that Bain opened the door to see if Bard was still outside.

"Da?"

"Don't let them leave..." the bargeman whispered to his son, before turning to the she-Elf. "Come with me."

Silently nodding, the female moved to follow him as he took to running along the narrow piers and bridges connecting the town's parts across the icy waters. Upon entering a decrepit cottage, Faelwen was met with the sight of an indescribable mess; blankets, paintings, candle-holders, tapestries... anything she could think of was there, piled over everything in sight.

"Hello, Bard..." the only person there, a male clearly older than the bargeman, greeted. "What you after?"

"There was a tapestry!" Bard replied, rushing inside and beginning to search for whatever it was that had come to his mind. "An old one!"

"What tapestry you're talking about?" the other man now perked up.

"This one..." he muttered, placing a large blue one upon the counter and unraveling it.

While Faelwen approached to satisfy her curiosity and see what he was looking for, a female voice reached them, making Bard turn pale.

"They were Dwarves, I tell you... appeared out of nowhere. Full beards, fierce eyes... I've never seen the likes."

"What would Dwarves be doin' in these parts?" a male asked contemplatively.

"It's the prophecy... the prophecy of Dúrin's folk." another elder male replied whilst mending his fishing nets.

While they spoke Bard now took to examining the tapestry which depicted Thorin's family tree, much to Faelwen's chagrin.

"Prophecy..." he whispered, narrowing his eyes as he tried to recall it.

Meanwhile outside the people had suddenly become more animated than Faelwen had seen them until that point, a thing which she didn't know whether to consider good or bad.

"The old tales will come true..." a male stated.

"Can it really be true?" one of the women asked. "Has the lord of silver fountains returned?"

"_The lord of silver fountains... the king of carven stone..._" Bard recited almost mechanically, as his mind recalled the poem he had been taught as a child. "_The King beneath the mountain... shall come into his own._"

Thought she could not deny the beauty of the lyrics, the she-Elf suddenly felt a cold shiver along her spine when she sighted the terror in the bargeman's eyes as he turned to look at her. In the face of her inquisitive gaze, he lowered his widened eyes back to Thorin's face painted upon the tapestry before them.

"_And the bell shall ring in gladness at the Mountain King's return..._" he recited further. "_But all shall fail in sadness... and the lake will shine... and burn..._"

Silence fell between them for a few moments, broken only by the incessant chattering outside, when Bard again looked to her with traces of tears in his eyes.

"The dragon will kill us all..." he whispered shakily.

Only then did Faelwen realize the full extent of the danger veiling their mission; how could Gandalf not have told her of that? How could she have forgotten of the dragon lurking in the mountain?

"No, it won't..." she retorted, grasping his arm and dragging him along as she rushed outside and back to his house.

By the time they arrived there, however, there was no sign of the Dwarves or Bilbo.

"Da..." Bain said upon seeing them. "I tried to stop them..."

"How long have they been gone?" Bard asked urgently.

"They left not long after you did. I... I think they're headed to the armory."

**oOoOo**

"As soon as we have the weapons we make straight for the mountain."

Kili's whisper was met with various approving nods from the others as they snuck about the dark streets – given that the sun had set mere minutes earlier – on their way to the armory. What had started out as a successful theft, however, ended abruptly when Kili's wound got in the way causing him to fall down the stairs with an armful of weapons which alerted every guard in the city.

Minutes later they had been taken in front of the Master's house, where all the people had gathered.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Master asked, finally stepping outside once Alfrid had opened the doors.

"We caught them stealing weapons, Sire." the head of the guards replied.

"Ah... enemies of the state, eh?" he narrowed his eyes at the Dwarves.

"A desperate bunch of mercenaries, if ever there was, Sire." Alfrid agreed.

"Hold your tongue!" Dwalin retorted. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal... this is Thorin... son of Thrain, son of Thror!"

Stepping forward, Thorin fixed his cerulean gaze upon the Master, whilst the people around began chattering again in awe.

"We are the Dwarves of Erebor. We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor filled with silks and fine gems... this was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of all trade in the North! I would see those days return! I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more, from the halls of Erebor!"

When he turned back to the Master to speak to him, was when Bard and Faelwen finally arrived at the scene.

"Death!" Bard shouted, while the crowd parted to let him step forth. "That is what you will bring upon us! Dragon fire and ruin... if you waken that beast it will destroy us all."

Halting next to Bilbo, the she-Elf now silently watched and hoped that Thorin could still see reason.

"You can listen to this naysayer..." Thorin replied, addressing the people. "But I promise you this: if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the Mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"

At his words the crowd erupted into cheers, whilst Faelwen glanced around in astonishment; could they so easily discard the thought of death? And for what? For gold? Momentarily meeting her gaze, Bard clenched his jaw and stepped forward again where the entire crowd could see him.

"All of you!" he called out. "Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

While Thorin stepped forward as Bard glanced at him in accusation, the crowd again began muttering, this time torn between both males.

"Now, now..." the Master finally spoke again. "We must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame! Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale... _your_ ancestor... who failed to kill the beast!"

Pointing to Bard as he stated the last phrase, he rendered the bargeman utterly silent while Thorin and Faelwen glanced at him in wordless awe, upon realizing that their mysterious and humble savior was of kingly descent.

"It's true, Sire..." Alfrid stated, as if to turn the knife in the wound which Faelwen could clearly see showing in Bard's gaze. "We all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot... each one missing its mark..."

Swallowing the knot in his throat as the crowd began chattering about that which he considered a personal shame, Bard approached Thorin with a deep frown.

"You have no right... no right to enter that mountain."

"I have the only right." Thorin replied stubbornly.

Turning his back to the bargeman, he now looked to the pair up on the stairs.

"I speak to the Master of the Men of the Lake... will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people? What say you?"

"I say unto you... welcome!" the greedy male replied in the crowd's cheers and applause. "Welcome... and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

Sighing in defeat, the bargeman turned on his heels and walked away leaving Faelwen to glance after him in concern. It was only Bilbo tugging on her hand that drew her attention to the Hobbit.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes..." she replied with a warm but bitter smile.

Looking up just when Alfrid had whispered something to the Master, she sighted the fat male's gaze falling on her and humor drained from her features.

"Come, come..." he said to Thorin. "Let us treat you all with a feast worthy of your royal person and show you the hospitality of Men."

While Balin and the others moved to go inside the Master's house, the she-Elf remained rooted to the spot, staring down the male's lustful gaze.

"Aren't you coming, Faelwen?" Bilbo asked, seeing that she wasn't following them and drawing Thorin's attention to them.

"Forgive me, master Hobbit..." she replied gently, before once more averting her piercing glance to the Master who visibly flinched under the intensity of her stare. "But I will have nothing to do with a ruler who condemns his people to death!"

With the crowd settling down at the sound of her words and turning to look at her, now muttering in sheer awe of her beauty and the fact that an Elf was in their city – something unseen since the days of old – she narrowed her eyes at the Master and his skulking servant.

"You... you are unworthy of lordship!" she scowled. "Your greed will be your downfall... and the death of your people! Do you not care? Have you no honor? Are you so blinded by the thought of wealth that you would forsake your entire city for it?"

Looking to the crowd around her, she offered them a pleading glance.

"And you all... why do you submit to such a man? Are you not descendants of the great and mighty people of Dale? By every right, Bard should be your ruler! Not this traitor who would sell you all so easily for profit!"

"Faelwen..." Thorin finally spoke, in an attempt at swaying her back to their side.

While he wasn't fond of Elves, she was a skilled warrior as he had seen firsthand; she was invaluable to their mission now. However, he found himself stopped in his tracks when she pinned him down with a gaze as angry as it was disappointed.

"I expected better of you... you are a son of Kings! You should act with more dignity and honor your noble bloodline better. But you have doomed us all!"

Averting her gaze to the other Dwarves then back to the Master and finally to the crowd staring at her, she exhaled a shaky breath as tears flooded her eyes... all those souls to be lost for the greed of two men.

"I will have no part in this..." she said, looking to Balin and then to Bilbo who was watching her with an expression of pure terror at the thought of her leaving them. "May the grace of the Valar go with you... and keep you safe."

"Fa-Faelwen... please..." Bilbo pleaded, failing to find his words.

They had already lost Gandalf on the way... now to lose Faelwen truly gave him a sense of failure as he saw their last hope for help crumbling. But his plea went unanswered when the she-Elf turned from them to walk away; it was when the people parted to let her pass that she jolted in surprise and stopped in her tracks as she sighted Bard standing at the edge of the crowd, looking at her with a gaze overflowing of warmth and gratitude. Lowering her head with a sigh she walked to him, failing to see the disappointed glance which the bargeman offered Thorin.

The last thing that the Dwarf prince caught a glimpse of – before the crowd closed the gap and continued chattering – was Bard setting an arm around the she-Elf's shoulders to lead her away and turning his now concerned gaze to her. Clenching his jaw as he felt the shade of doubt which her words had stirred in his heart, Thorin huffed angrily and turned his back on the people to enter the Master's house along with the others.

**oOoOo**

"Thank you..."

Jolting in surprise at the bargeman's softly spoken words, Faelwen looked up from the wooden table she had been staring at since they had arrived back at his house, only to be met with his bittersweet smile.

"What for?" she asked.

For all her sadness, she could not hold back the joyful leap of her heart when he grasped her slender hand and pressed his lips to the back of her fingers.

"For saying what I was too cowardly to say... for caring so much for my people, that you would defy the Master for them."

"Do not call him that!" she hissed, squeezing his hand with a frown. "He usurped _your_ birthright to rule."

She understood why he had never tried to overthrow the Master... not just because of the shame he felt at the thought of his ancestor failing to save his people, but also because of the Master's guards which had a fair number to their ranks. But still she wanted to help him... to give him back the throne he should have had since his father's death. That circle of contemplation, however, was suddenly broken when Sigrid set a plate of hot stew in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Thank you..." she said softly, smiling up at the young girl.

Returning her smile, Sigrid now went to set dinner on the table for her father and siblings as well, while Faelwen retrieved her hand only to sight Tilda watching her and Bard with a grin as wide as her face, before reaching out to the she-Elf with her small hand. It was when she giggled as Faelwen grasped her hand, that Bard ultimately allowed himself a warm smile whilst Bain and Sigrid glanced to one another in silence.

An hour later, while Faelwen was outside with Tilda telling her a story, the two elder children approached their father.

"Da..." Sigrid said rather cautiously, earning an inquisitive gaze from the bargeman.

"What is it?" he smiled, upon seeing their serious expressions and motioning them to sit with him.

"Da... have you ever thought of... finding another woman? Bain asked, while his sister nodded as Bard now stared at them utterly taken aback.

By their expressions he couldn't tell if they expected a positive answer from him or not, but he didn't want to lie to them.

"I know what you are thinking... but Faelwen is..."

Falling silent as he pondered on how to word it best, he was startled when Sigrid grasped his hand in both of her own.

"Da... we don't want to see you alone anymore. We want to see you happy again..."

"Faelwen seems like a good choice, Da..." Bain agreed. "And Tilda likes her a lot."

Heaving a sigh, the bargeman returned his daughter's grasp.

"She is Elf kind... she deserves a man who can offer her more than I have to give."

"But you love her, father... don't you?" the girl asked.

"Yes, Sigrid." he replied gently. "I believed I would never love another woman after your mother... but Faelwen restored my heart."

"Then take her as your wife, Da... if she will have you, don't turn her away."

"Sigrid, she is immortal... all I can offer is nothing compared to what one of her own kin could give her."

"But father..." Bain protested.

Smiling warmly the bargeman now set his arms around both children seated at his sides, in a loving embrace.

"You cannot know how happy I am that you would be willing to see me take another woman... but fate had me offer my heart to the one I cannot have."

**oOoOo**

"Do you like Da?"

Lowering her gaze from the starry sky at such an unexpected question, Faelwen glanced to the little girl she was cradling beneath a thick blanket.

"I saw how he looks at you... he doesn't look like that at any woman." she giggled.

"Does he not?" the she-Elf asked with a playful smile.

Lowering her sky blue gaze to the pendant around Faelwen's neck, Tilda now took to fiddling with the intricate jewel.

"Sigrid says he didn't look that way at any woman since mama died."

"You never met your mother, did you?"

Shaking her head, the small child again looked up at her.

"Do you have a mama? What's she like? Is she as beautiful as you?"

"I had one... and yes she was very beautiful." Faelwen replied.

It was when her heart cringed painfully that she realized the memory of her parents' death still hurt even after so many years.

"Is she dead too?" Tilda asked on a sad note, sighting the tears sparkling in Faelwen's eyes beneath the moon.

"Yes... she and my father died... many years ago." the Elf replied gently.

Silence fell between them while Faelwen returned her gaze to the stars above and Tilda resumed examining her pendant.

"I'd like to have a mama like you..." she suddenly muttered.

Looking up just as Faelwen turned her gaze to her, the little girl smiled.

"You're very beautiful... and kind and warm... and you make Da smile. You make him happy... and I want to see him happy more."

Finally smiling softly, the she-Elf leaned down to place a gentle kiss to Tilda's forehead.

"I would love to have daughters like you and your sister... and a son like your brother... but... it is more complicated than that."

"But you like Da, don't you?" she asked, and her expression suddenly took on a frightened shade at the thought of a negative answer.

"Very much..." Faelwen replied with an amused huff. "He is a wonderful man..."

"Then why?"

"Because it is his choice to make, Tilda; you will understand when you are older."

**oOoOo**

It was well into the night when Faelwen opened her eyes to sight Bard knelt next to the bed, watching her with a gentle gaze in which she could easily see a shade of longing.

"Why are you still awake?" she asked, reaching to place a hand over his on the covers.

He had offered her his bed for the night, but she hadn't expected him to be awake even though he had refused when she insisted to not let him sleep on the floor.

"I'm not awake..." he whispered with a loving smile, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss her soft skin. "This is a dream..."

Unable to hold back a soft smile of her own, Faelwen now tugged on his hand.

"Lie with me... please..."

Though his smile faded into a painful expression, he obeyed and released her hand to settle at her side where he reached out to trace the back of his fingers along her cheek.

"Do you still believe this is a dream?" she asked.

"Yes..."

Moving closer to him whilst her gaze never left his, the she-Elf offered him a smile which left Bard speechless; such was the intensity of love and warmth overflowing from her expression.

"Then it is a good dream..." she whispered just before pressing her lips gingerly to his.

It was in that moment that he seemed to come alive, his arms tightly coiling around her slender figure, one of his hands diving into her silky strands and his mouth eagerly devouring hers with a shade of passion and need he had never known he could display. And again she did not recoil from his assertive demeanor... again she matched him in the intensity of their kiss... again she placed an arm around him, pulling him against her as much as she could... again she made him feel so alive and wanted that he truly fancied the idea of asking her to be his wife, right then and there.

What brought him back to reality was the sensation of her body settling onto the covers and pulling him along with her motion, until he found himself leaning over her as she smiled up at him and caressed his cheek with slender fingers.

"Stay here..." she pleaded. "You need your rest as well. If you insist on sleeping on the floor, however... then I shall join you."

Letting loose an amused huff at her insistence, the male ultimately offered her a defeated smile.

"Very well... I will stay, if you sleep."

When she nodded he again settled at her side, gathering her in his arms whilst she cuddled to his chest. Placing a soft kiss to her forehead, he set free a content sigh.

"Sleep... my beloved..."

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Yes, that was my greatest fear, that people would believe it was too rushed. But, as I said, I'm taking the parallel between Bard and Aragorn to the end... and Aragorn and Arwen fell in love with each other at first sight. I tried not to go exactly for the same thing, but I knew it would have happened quickly because Elf maidens just have this... aura about them that attracts men of any race (well, maybe aside from Orcs xD).

But really I'm so glad you were able to get over that sensation of the romance being rushed, and that you could enjoy the chapter for what it was. I hope you enjoyed re-reading this latest chapter as well, darling :D

2. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** - Aww I'm so glad to hear you enjoy the story so far and I hope future chapters won't disappoint you either. Now I'm probably not going to go by the movie too much, but more by the book... mostly that would be because of how Lee Pace described Thranduil in the movie, which - if it's true - is a very poor rendition of the Elvenking who was anything but selfish, especially when it came to his own people.

But we'll see. I hope I'll have the time to go watch the movie while it's still in theaters, although I'm not getting my hopes up for that with how hectic my life is right now. But thank you for this lovely review, darling. I'm looking forward to hearing from you again soon :D

3. **The Shadow Next To You** - I'm so glad you like this pairing, darling. I was slightly nervous at first about creating another Human/Elf pairing (since we already have Aragorn/Arwen in _The Lord of the Rings_), but then I noticed all the striking similarities between Bard and Aragorn and decided that a parallel between the pairings was a must. So that's how Faelwen was born and thrust into Bard's arms xD

Really I am happy to hear that you enjoy the story so far; thank you for this lovely review and I hope to hear from you again soon, darling :D

4. **Guest** - Haha wow that's quite some excitement there. You actually got me all pumped up after reading the review. Thank you so much for the humbling compliments, darling. I am so glad you enjoy the story so much and I hope you'll keep enjoying it throughout future chapters as well. Hope to hear from you again soon :D

5. **Willowstar23** - I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, darling. Hope you'll enjoy future updates as well and I hope to hear from you again soon :)

6. **Rossi's Lil Devil** - Oh I'm so happy to hear that chapter stood up to your expectations, darling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and that future installments won't disappoint you.

As for _Quadrille_, that's a bit of an issue because I got so busy with college and so distracted with other ideas, that I lost that Shakespeare feel. I'll try to find a day to sit down and re-watch the four films together to get that vibe back, because I don't want to write and upload a chapter that's not as good as the previous ones. So I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer on that one and I'm sorry for that.

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	5. No one will help us

Soooo darlings, Christmas is almost here (for some of you it may have already arrived, depending on where you live). And here's my gift to you for being so awesome... **TWO** whole chapters for our lovely bowman and his elven lover :D

So I won't rant too much, darlings, I'll only say that the replies to your reviews will be posted at the end of the following chapter so read on ;)

Enjoy, lovelies, and don't forget to toss me a little review~ :)

**Merry Christmas!**

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><span><strong>5. No one will help us<strong>

_"Sleep... my beloved..."_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

Soon after the sun had risen, Faelwen was startled from her rest by the faint sound of people cheering and almost involuntarily she shot up in bed.

"What's wrong?"

The sound of Bard's sleepy voice had her turn her gaze back to him, and she softened her expression whilst leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"Nothing... forgive me for waking you." she whispered.

Taking a moment to listen to the echoes of the cheering outside, the bargeman now leaned away until he could look up to see her face.

"No one will hold you guilty of not going with them..." he said, grasping her hand over his chest and stroking her skin with his thumb.

"I would have gone with them to the end... but then I met you... and now I am torn between staying here and following them."

Gently tugging on her hand until she laid back down, setting her head onto his chest, the male now took to stroking her chestnut locks while resting his cheek against her forehead; and he was astounded to realize just how natural it felt to have her lie there with him.

"Why would you want to go and face the dragon in his own lair?" he finally asked.

"It is not the Dwarves I am worried about... they can defend themselves. But Bilbo... Hobbits are not warriors; he would be the easiest prey for Smaug. And I saw the fear in his eyes last night, when I told them I would not go with them to Erebor. If he dies, I shall never forgive myself for not being there to protect him."

"Nor would my heart ever heal, if you perished in the dragon's fire..."

It was at those words that she raised her head to look him in the eye with a surprised gaze, only to be met with his loving smile as he reached to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers so gingerly that she barely felt it... as though he was afraid his touch alone would taint the perfection she embodied in his vision.

"You made me whole once more..." he said, to soothe her puzzled state. "To learn of your death would be a wound which would never close again, until my passing from this world."

Offering him a soft smile, the woman now shortly claimed his lips for a loving kiss before settling back in his arms.

"I would lie, if I said that you were not the first reason to hold me from going..."

The relaxing silence which now fell between them turned to a restful slumber for the bargeman which was interrupted near noon, however, by a series of powerful knocks on the door. Though startled, Bard quickly discarded all traces of slumber and moved to stand and open the door, only to be met with the sight of Bofur's worried expression.

"No..." he said before the short statured male could speak. "I'm done with Dwarves, go away!"

It was at his words that Faelwen herself stepped out of bed, just when Bard tried to close the door only to have Bofur stop him.

"No, no... no, please! No one will help us. Kili's sick... he's very sick..."

Approaching the bargeman, Faelwen finally sighted the young Dwarf's deathly pale face.

"Kili..." she sighed, rushing to check on him.

It was only at the sight of her that Oin seemed to relax to some extent, as he knew the tales of Elvish healing powers.

"Bring him inside..." Bard finally said, gently addressing the she-Elf.

He would have liked to say that he was only allowing this because she was there; but he knew too well that he just didn't have it in him to turn anyone away when they needed help.

Carrying him inside and setting him on the bed, the Dwarves then moved aside to let Faelwen have a look at the wound. Upon unwrapping the dirty, bloodied bandage the she-Elf's expression took on a shade which sent a shiver down Fili's spine, whilst he got a foreboding feeling.

"You fool..." she whispered, offering Kili a pained gaze. "Why did you not tell me earlier?"

Unable to speak because of the pain, the young Dwarf only replied with a frightened glance.

"Sigrid..." she called out. "I need some warm water and a clean cloth."

Looking then to the three Dwarves and Bard who were watching her in silence, she reached to the back of her waist to retrieve one of her daggers.

"Hold him down."

"What are you doing?" Fili asked, startled by her reaction.

"The tip is still in the wound... it has been poisoning him constantly. I have to take it out."

With Bard moving to her side to hold one of the Dwarf's arms, Fili, Bofur and Oin moved to hold half of his body while Bain set his hands onto Kili's wounded leg to keep him from moving it. Briefly locking gazes with the young Dwarf, Faelwen then glanced to the wound and inserted the tip of the blade into the flesh with a swift and dexterous move; merely clenching her jaw at Kili's painful shout which now filled the house whilst the males were fighting to keep him still, she carefully twisted the dagger until at long last the steel tip came to rest in her hand.

"Be careful not to cut yourself..." she said, handing it and the dagger to Bain. "It is still poisonous."

At long last Sigrid set the bowl of water next to her, and Faelwen took to cleaning the wound so that she could see just how grave it was. What drew her attention away from it was the sensation of his leg muscles going limp beneath her hands, and she looked to him to find that he was no longer conscious.

"Kili..." she whispered urgently, moving closer to him and placing a hand to his cheek only to realize he was running a high fever.

"What's happening?" Fili perked up.

When Faelwen glanced to him with tears in her eyes, he felt utterly rooted to the spot.

"No... he-he's not dead... he can't be dead!"

Averting her gaze, the she-Elf now leaned down until her face was hovering mere inches from the Dwarf's, her hands placed on both his cheeks.

_**"****Kili... listen to the sound of my voice... turn back to the light..."**_ she whispered. _**"Turn back... your time is not yet done..."**_

"What's she doing?" Bofur asked.

"I've heard of this as a child... that Elves can return people from the brink of death." Bard replied. "I believed that to be nothing more than a fairytale..."

It was when Faelwen's face went pale that the bargeman felt a pang of fear slithering into his heart at the thought of what she had to do to bring the young Dwarf back. Soon enough Kili's chest began heaving again and he once more started moaning in pain... and it was then that the she-Elf leaned back and collapsed, her fall only softened by Bard's fast reaction of catching her in his arms.

"I am alright..." she whispered tiredly.

"Thank you." Fili said, utterly grateful.

Offering him a weak smile, the woman took a few moments to simply rest in the bargeman's embrace... she had known it was no easy task to return someone from the brink of death; Aragorn and Elrond had warned her, but never had she imagined it would take so much out of her.

**oOoOo**

"Can you not do something?"

Several hours had passed since the Dwarves had arrived at Bard's house and Faelwen was doing all she could to keep Kili alive. Twice more she had had to call back his spirit and by now she was utterly exhausted.

"We need herbs..." Oin replied. "Something to bring down his fever..."

"I have nightshade... I have feverfew..." Bard replied, going through the small bags of healing plants he had in the house.

"That will not be enough..." Faelwen said, looking up to him.

Her weakened tone earned her a worried glance from the Man, to which she replied with a reassuring smile.

"Do you have any athelas?"

"Athelas?" Bard narrowed his eyes in thought, trying to recall that name.

"Kingsfoil..." she continued.

"But that's a weed... we feed it to the pigs."

"Pigs? Weed..." Bofur pondered. "Right... don't move."

With that he rushed out the door to go looking for the plant which Faelwen had requested. Mere minutes after he had left, however, the house briefly shook.

"Was that an earthquake?" Oin asked.

"It's coming from the mountain!" Bain called out, looking through one of the windows.

At his words Faelwen set her gaze upon Bard who glanced to her with the same terror in his eyes that she felt in her heart.

"You should leave us." Fili said, upon realizing that what Faelwen had told them was true and the dragon was still alive. "Take your children... get out of here."

"And go where?" Bard asked. "There is nowhere to go..."

"Are we going to die, Da?" Tilda asked, tears sparkling in her eyes.

Leaving Kili's side for a moment, Faelwen now stepped to Bard's side and beckoned the young girl to her, only to have Tilda run into her arms.

"No, darling..." Bard replied with a gentle smile, setting a hand onto her head as the she-Elf embraced her.

"The dragon... it's going to kill us." she insisted, looking up at him.

Clenching his jaw, the bargeman took a deep breath to steel his will and courage; reaching above his head afterwards he retrieved a Black Arrow hidden between small bags of dried plants.

"Not if I kill it first." he stated on a tone which reminded Faelwen strongly of Aragorn himself.

Rushing to retrieve his coat, he beckoned Bain to go with him.

"Be careful, Da..." Sigrid said worriedly.

"You and Tilda listen to Faelwen until I come back, alright?"

With both girls nodding, he now opened the door and rushed out of the house followed closely by his son.

"Are we really going to be alright?" Tilda asked, looking up at the she-Elf.

"Yes..." she replied with a warm smile. "Your father will see to that... I promise."

**oOoOo**

"Alright... come on..."

After what had seemed like an eternity of sneaking around the frozen piers in the town, Bard finally sighted the Master's house where the Dwarvish windlance was set atop the highest tower.

"A Black Arrow? Why did you never tell me?" Bain retorted.

"Because you did not need to know."

Upon arriving at the nearest turn, he stopped and set a hand onto his son's shoulder.

"Listen to me carefully; I need you to distract the guards... once I'm at the top of the tower, I'll set the arrow to the bow."

Before he could say anything more, however, the head of the guards spotted them.

"There he is! Bard! After him!"

"Quickly, down there!" he whispered, pointing Bain down the nearest street.

When it became obvious, however, that they could not lose the guards Bard stopped and handed Bain the arrow.

"Keep it safe... don't let anyone find it. I'll deal with them!"

"I'm not leaving you!" the boy replied in shock.

"Go!"

With Bain compelled to obey, Bard now rushed back around the corner to face the guards.

"Braga..."

"You're under arrest."

"On what charge?"

"Any charge the Master chooses."

Flashing a sarcastic smile, the bargeman suddenly whirled around and punched the male, sending him on a direct dive into the lake. Barely escaping the other guards he took to the streets to try and lose them; his race came to an abrupt end, however, when out of the shadows Alfrid tripped him sending him head first into a wooden frame built for drying plants, the frail timber collapsing under his weight. Before he could regain his bearings, however, a sharp pain erupted in his head right before darkness took him.

**oOoOo**

"Da? Is that you, Da?"

Receiving no answer, Sigrid heaved a sigh; Bain had returned quite some time earlier saying that he didn't know where their father had gone after they had split up. And though Faelwen had wanted to go look for him, both he and his elder sister had pleaded with her to not leave them alone.

Moments later her scream alerted the she-Elf who had been checking on Kili's wound, when the Orc pack finally caught up with them. With Sigrid rushing back into the house, Faelwen walked over to the Orc who had followed the girl to cut her down; pulling an arrow from her quiver she used her own hand to impale it into the Orc's head, causing him to fall to the floor with a painful squawk.

"Get down!" she called to Tilda, pushing her beneath the table with her sister.

Unable to use her bow in the small space, the she-Elf instead resorted to her twin short-swords; but not even she could be in several places at once, as more and more Orcs flooded the small house trying to kill them all. Slaying one of the creatures who had just been trying to impale Kili on the bed, she turned around only to have one of the Orcs grab her by the neck. Though she stopped his blade with the bracer tied to her left forearm, she was aware that the more he kept her still, the easier a target she would become.

Tauriel's arrival was what saved her life, the redhead disposing of the Orc just when Legolas jumped through one of the holes in the roof, landing on the table. Between the three of them – with some aid from Fili and Oin – the fight ended quickly with the rest of the pack retreating. Faelwen's attempt at catching her breath, however, was interrupted when the blond prince wrapped her in a tight embrace.

_**"****How could you disappear like that? My father was terribly worried... as was I."**_

_**"****I am sorry..."**_ she whispered.

"You killed them all..." Bain muttered in shock, staring at the dead bodies littering the house.

"There are others." Legolas replied. "Tauriel... come..."

"We're losing him..." Oin said as Faelwen knelt next to Kili who was yelling in pain.

Looking between him and Legolas, Tauriel stared in shock at the prince when he again beckoned her to follow him and rushed out of the house without looking back. Before she could move to obey him, however, Faelwen stood and grasped her arm.

"Tauriel... stay here. I will go..."

"My Lady, you're..."

"Please don't leave, Faelwen..." Tilda pleaded, drawing the attention of both females.

Smiling warmly, the blue eyed woman leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I promise I will come back... but I have to find your father. I have to make sure he is alright."

Looking to the elder siblings, she offered them a reassuring smile.

"Tauriel will look after you."

Once more kissing Tilda's forehead she now retrieved her bow and rushed out the door just moments before Bofur finally returned with the athelas he had found.

"Give this to Tauriel... she will know what to do." Faelwen called out.

"Who's Tauriel?"

This question remained without an answer, however, as Faelwen took to the streets. Just where in the world had that man gone to? Had something happened to him? She had to help Legolas, as she was aware he likely could not handle all those Orcs alone, but at the same time she desperately wanted to find Bard and make sure he was unharmed.

Her search came to a sudden and terrifying stop minutes later, when the cold night wind carried the echo of an ominous roar to her ears. Halting in her tracks, the she-Elf raised her widened eyes to the heavens and the mountain profiled on the night sky.

"No..." she breathed out, her gaze growing blurry with tears.

Sighting the people starting to flood the streets in fright, she regained her bearings and once more rushed along; her heart told her that there was only one who stood any chance of saving them all... and that was Bard.


	6. I am fire

Soooo as many of you asked in PM, I'll upload the chapters which pass into the third movie-verse, chapters which I've written based solely on the book, my own imagination and what I assumed would happen considering how the various threads flowed out from the end of the second movie.

This chapter will also have my replies to your reviews at the bottom. So I'll just say that I hope you all have a great time with your family and friends and that Santa will bring you everything you have on your wish list.

So enjoy, my darlings~ ;)

**Merry Christmas!**

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><span><strong>6. I am fire...<strong>

_[..] her heart told her that there was only one who stood any chance of saving them all... and that was Bard._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

"Listen to me! Do you not know what is coming?"

The bargeman's desperate plea remained unanswered, however, as Braga and his men continued to cheerfully chatter and drink just a few steps away from Bard's cell. Sighing heavily as he battled to hold back tears of rage, he leaned his head against the wooden bars and closed his eyes. His only hope was that Faelwen too had heard the echo of that roar and that she would take his children out of the city.

And still... all those innocent people...

"Braga!" he yelled. "For goodness' sake, listen to me! The dragon is coming!"

Finally looking to him, the rotund male set down his beer pint.

"I've had just about enough of you and your foolish stories, Bard. Now keep quiet, or I'll make you!"

Moving back into the side room where the guards were still drinking, he failed to see Faelwen rushing in, lured there by the sound of Bard's voice.

"Faelwen..." he whispered upon sighting her, clenching his hands onto the thin wooden poles.

"What happened?" she asked in concern, rushing to him and lacing her fingers with his through the bars.

"Listen to me... Smaug is coming. You have to leave the town!"

"I am not leaving you here to die." she retorted, staring at him in shock.

Releasing her hands, he reached through the bars to gently grasp her face.

"Listen to me, Faelwen... take the children and get out of here! If you leave now, there's a chance you can make it to Mirkwood unseen, while the dragon burns Lake-town. Leave the city and run to the forest... keep running and don't look back."

"Please... do not ask me to leave you here." she begged, tears slowly flooding her sapphire eyes whilst she too reached through the bars to grasp the edges of his coat.

As though they had read each other's mind, both leaned forward at the same time, their mouths eagerly embracing one another in between the wooden beams.

"Please... so long as you and the children are safe, I don't care what happens to me." he whispered painfully after finally gathering the willpower to end their kiss.

"But I do... and so do your children." she protested. "And I will not let you deprive them of their father."

A sudden noise of obnoxious laughter coming from the other room startled the she-Elf and drew her attention to the guards.

"I _will_ get you out of here." she stated, looking back to the bargeman.

Moving away from his hands and withdrawing one of her twin swords from its sheath, she stepped toward the auxiliary chamber, a murderous glint in her eyes whilst the unsuspecting guards now laughed as they made fun of what they believed to be Bard's nonsense regarding the dragon.

"Nothing you say will make us let you go without orders from the Master, you crazy bargeman." one of the guards called out to him mockingly.

The very moment when the last word left his lips, a thud startled Braga and the others who turned to the room's entrance only to sight Faelwen standing over the unconscious male who had been seated nearest to the door.

"Then perhaps what _I_ say will convince you to reconsider." she said menacingly, tightening her hold on the sword's hilt.

"Now, miss... let's not get rash here..." Braga attempted to appease her.

"Then release him." she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him and causing him to flinch at the intensity of her gaze.

"I have orders to follow, I can't let him go."

Lowering her gaze with a sigh, the female suddenly lunged forward in a display of grace which momentarily stunned the five males there; within moments four more were lying on the floor as well, Braga being the only one still standing.

"Have you gone mad?" he yelled when she pointed the sword at him. "The Master will have your head for this!"

"I came here from king Thranduil, mortal..." she hissed with an icy smile. "I doubt your master would wish to anger him."

When Braga opened his mouth to protest again, Faelwen ultimately lost her patience. Grabbing him by his cape she dragged him out of the room and slammed him against the bars to Bard's cell, placing the sword at his throat whilst the entire barred door shook from its hinges at the impact.

"Release him, or I swear you will not see dawn!" she ordered through clenched teeth.

Finally giving in to his fear and the unflinching determination in her gaze, Braga reached to his waist to retrieve the keys. Still firmly holding him by the cape, the she-Elf pulled him away from the bars so as to let him open the cell.

"Braga, please..." Bard said upon stepping out. "You must listen to me! You and the others have to get the people out of here!"

In the silence which followed, a gust of wind swept the streets bringing with it the echo of another roar which ultimately compelled Braga himself to stare in fright at the patch of sky visible from the cell's window.

"Braga!" Bard called out, grasping the man's shoulders to regain his attention. "Tell the people to leave town..."

"Right..." he nodded.

Rushing outside he called for the nearest men.

"Alert the others and clear the city! Get as many people as you can across the bridge!" he ordered before he too rushed to warn the Master and help evacuate the town.

Exhaling a relieved sigh, the bargeman then turned to embrace Faelwen.

"You are such a brave and wonderful woman..." he whispered. "Thank you."

Leaning back, the she-Elf briefly pecked his lips with a warm smile and a jesting reply.

"You can tell me how wonderful I am afterwards... right now we have to go."

"Bain... he knows where the arrow is. I have to set it to the bow..."

"Bard... there is no time. We have to leave the city."

"If I don't kill the dragon now, it will only hunt us all down and destroy us. I have to end it here... tonight!"

**oOoOo**

Within minutes the entire town had turned into a squirming mass of humans: young, old... men, women, children... Faelwen could swear she had had no idea there were _so many_ people living in that decrepit city.

"This will turn into an inferno..." she muttered in fright, staring at the surrounding buildings and realizing that _everything_ in that city was made of wood.

She and Bard had been struggling to get through the panicked crowd for a good while now, in their attempt to reach the bargeman's house where Faelwen had left Bain with his sisters. All attempts from Braga and his men to keep the people calm had failed, when the wind carried the distinct sound of flapping wings into the city and everyone had succumbed to the terror instilled by the arriving dragon.

Upon turning a corner, however, Faelwen who had been running ahead slammed into what she assumed was a male; looking up when the victim of her rush did not move to run past her, she found her eyes widening at the sight of the blond Elf prince standing before her, Orcrist in hand and glinting ominously in the moonlight.

_**"****You're hurt..."**_ she gasped, sighting the string of blood slithering from his nose down to his lips.

_**"****It's nothing..."**_ he replied.

It was then that Faelwen noticed the reins he was holding and the white horse standing behind him on the wooden street.

_**"****What are you doing?"**_ she asked, suddenly getting a feeling of dread along her spine.

_**"****The Orcs are getting away... and I can't find Tauriel."**_

_**"****I left her at the house with the others, to keep them safe."**_

Without another word, Legolas nimbly sprung in the saddle and pulled the reins to turn the horse around.

_**"****You don't mean to follow them alone..."**_ Faelwen pleaded, suddenly realizing what he was doing.

_**"****I will **_**not**_** let them get away."**_ he growled in anger.

Spurring the horse onwards, he left the two there and galloped toward the long bridge.

_**"****Don't... Legolas!"**_

For a moment she felt utterly rooted to the spot from the renewed terror which crashed onto her; he was injured and angry, she could easily tell... and he would likely make a mistake and die, if she let him go alone. But how could she leave now, when Smaug was already breathing down their necks?

"Look out!"

Startled by Bard's unexpected shout, she felt a pair of strong hands grabbing her by the tunic and pulling her along; the next thing she knew, she was trapped between a wooden wall behind her and Bard's own body in front of her, whilst behind him fire rained from the sky.

The brief firestorm left a menacing roar in its wake as the dragon ascended to circle the town; mere moments later screams broke out nearby, mixed with the scent of burning flesh and the sound of wood breaking when Smaug glided over one of the streets, leaving nothing but death in his wake.

"We have to move..." Bard said, glancing to the sky.

Fortune was with them for now, it seemed, as the dragon attacked the edge of the town opposite to where the bargeman's home lied. In a desperate race the two battled to pass through the crowd without being swept away toward the bridge, until at long last they managed to reach Bard's house.

"My Lady, do you have any word of Legolas?" Tauriel greeted her when she dashed inside the house with the bargeman.

"He left the city... following what was left of the Orcs. But that is not our greatest problem, right now."

"Is the dragon here?" Tilda asked, hugging a torn doll tightly.

Looking to her, Faelwen walked over and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"There's nothing to fear, Tilda..." she whispered soothingly. "If we are careful, we can leave town without the dragon seeing us."

Standing and taking a better glance around the house, she then turned back to Tauriel wide-eyed.

"Where are the Dwarves?"

"They went ahead, when we heard that first roar... Kili had them moving slowly, so they'll need more time to leave the town."

Sighing in resignation, Faelwen nodded.

"Well only the Valar can keep _them_ safe, now."

"Where did you hide the arrow, Bain?" Bard now asked.

"I left it in a boat... near the Master's statue."

The chilly breath which left the bargeman at that answer, had Faelwen frown in concern.

"Perhaps we are fortunate..." he replied to her inquisitive gaze. "The statue lies in the center of the town, near the Master's dwelling. The windlance is on the highest tower of the house."

When he retrieved his longbow and arrow quiver, the she-Elf moved to follow him, only to have the bargeman shake his head.

"I'll go... you get the children and get out of here."

"Bard..."

Her protest was abruptly cut off when the male leaned forward to press his lips to hers for a moment, before setting his forehead against her own whilst one of his hands caressed the back of her neck.

"Please... do as I ask..." he whispered. "If I know you're all safe, I can focus better."

Not waiting for her reply he rushed out of the house despite Bain and Sigrid's feeble attempts at convincing him otherwise. For a moment all Faelwen could do was stand there, utterly rooted to the spot, looking at the door which had remained open in the wake of his stormy departure.

"My Lady..."

Tauriel's soft voice startled the she-Elf when the redhead set a hand onto her shoulder.

"We should go..."

Clenching her jaw and closing her eyes, Faelwen exhaled a long breath to hold back the tears struggling to fill her eyes.

"Yes... Sigrid, come and help me please. Bain, get Tilda ready..."

"Right..." the boy replied, pulling his little sister away to get her dressed properly for the cold night.

With Sigrid and Tauriel helping her gather some thick blankets, the two Elves soon led the children outside.

"Can I walk with you?" Tilda asked, taking her hand.

Smiling warmly, Faelwen now leaned down to kiss the girl's forehead.

"You'll have to walk with Bain this time, alright? I will be no more than a few steps ahead..." she said softly.

"You promise?"

"I promise..." she replied, pulling the child into a warm embrace. "Bain..."

"Come on, Tilda." the boy called out, taking her hand.

"Tauriel, you stay at the back and keep an eye out as well."

Nodding shortly to that order, the redhead retrieved her bow and set an arrow to it, just as Faelwen did. Their famed eyesight would provide the best shield – as they both knew their arrows would be useless against the dragon – hopefully giving them enough time to hide should Smaug soar overhead.

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><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **The Shadow Next To You** - Oh my God! That is such a heartwarming and utterly humbling compliment, darling that I have no idea what to say. I'm speechless (though you probably wouldn't know it by how I'm gushing right now xD). Really thank you so so so so so much for those words, love.

I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully you enjoyed these two as well. And I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. I can't wait to hear from you again soon :D

2. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Yes I totally agree with that, darling. That's why I always enjoy watching/reading a movie/series/book a second time and a third time and so on... because the first time is always great when it's something you enjoy. But the second time you start noticing the under-layers and you start reading between the lines and getting a much more detailed picture of the book/movie than on the first run.

And yes, I also agree the romance was rushed but Sir Tolkien has a soft spot for love at first sight and he didn't do that just with Aragorn and Arwen. Eowyn and Faramir - despite spending some time to actually get together - did fall in love with one another at first sight. So Sir Tolkien himself had a preference for that kind of love... so I was just following suite, you could say xD

But I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this second read as much as, or even more, than the first time. I hope you enjoyed re-reading these two chapters as well and that you'll have a wonderful Christmas ;)

3. **ZabuzasGirl** - Haha well it wasn't exactly immediately, but I'm hoping that two chapters instead of one will make up for the time you had to wait until I updated. Hope to hear from you again soon, darling and have a wonderful Christmas! :D

4. **Shannyrox101** - Umm I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to, but I'll assume it's the romance between Bard and Faelwen. In which case, I've already explained the reason why it's rushed in a reply that I posted at the end of chapter four as well as in a reply above. I really don't want to repeat myself again, so I'll just direct you to read those replies and hopefully it will clarify why I made this choice for the pairing.

Hope you enjoyed the story so far, darling and have a wonderful Christmas :D

5. **Rossi's Lil Devil** - Aww thank you so much, love. I'm so glad you enjoyed that last chapter and hopefully you enjoyed these two as well. Can't wait to hear from you again soon, darling. Have a wonderful Christmas! :D

6. **Guest** - Oh my God, I really did not expect anyone to cry at that chapter... and I don't regret a thing! :D

Joke aside, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed that chapter; hope you enjoyed these two as well. Have a merry and wonderful Christmas and I hope to hear from you again soon :D

7. **Lady Syndra** - Ask and thou shalt receive~

I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far, darling. Hopefully these two chapter, as well as the following ones will not disappoint and will keep entertaining you just as much (or more... wishful thinking on my part xD). Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope to hear from you again soon :D

8. **Rachel** - Aww that's such a sweet thing to say, darling, thank you so much. Hope you enjoyed these chapters as well and that they didn't disappoint you.

Have a wonderful Christmas and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again soon :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	7. I am death

Sooo I hope you all had time to have lots of fun with your family and friends for Christmas and that you partied on the night between years, darlings :D

I've had a great time this year and thank you all for the good wishes. I hope 2015 will be a better year than the previous one, for everyone everywhere. I hope we'll get less conflicts and more goodwill between people and that life in general will be at least a bit better than in 2014. Hope all your wishes/resolutions for this new year come true, lovelies, and that you'll never be afraid to keep dreaming and keep aiming higher than before.

So without any further ranting, I'll let you enjoy this new chapter for our lovely pair. I'll only mention that this chapter as well as the following ones up to just before the battle, have been written before I got to watch the movie. I got to watch it last week, but I will not alter these chapters, because it seems I was right for the most part in what I imagined would happen in the movie version.

The battle itself and the immediate events surrounding it, will likely be based more on the movie than on the book, because in the book the battle is not described in detail. I am wondering though, if I should keep to the book version or the movie version of how Thorin and his nephews die. What I liked about the death scene for Kili and Fili in the book was that they died defending Thorin, unlike in the movie where Fili got taken out like some helpless puppy and Kili died fighting for vengeance because of his brother's death. That was one of the things I didn't like in the movie, so I might keep to the book in that aspect... but we'll see when I get to that point.

The second thing you'll likely notice in future chapters is that I kept to Tolkien's version of Thranduil. I feel that PJ, while doing a marvelous job with the movies as a whole, has exaggerated certain traits in Thranduil which overshadowed the way he actually is. He's not obsessed with treasure, he doesn't WANT to kill the Dwarves in the book... in fact, in the book - unlike in the movie - he is the only one aside from Gandalf who does **NOT** want to start a war.

**_"Long will I tarry, ere I begin this war for gold."_**

Those are Thranduil's words in the book when Bard and everyone else was urging him to attack Erebor and claim a part of the treasure. In Thranduil's character I feel like PJ and Philippa Boyens failed when writing the script and making the movie. Therefore, also based on my knowledge of the Silmarillion and Thranduil's background, I will keep him in-character as Tolkien depicted him. So if he seems less sassy and more dignified and kinder than in the movie, now you know why :)

But for now enjoy this chapter, lovelies, and don't forget to toss me a little review or PM me. I love chatting with people and I promise I won't bite ;)

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><span><strong>7. I am death...<strong>

_Their famed eyesight would provide the best shield – as they both knew their arrows would be useless against the dragon – hopefully giving them enough time to hide should Smaug soar overhead._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

"Bain, don't let her look..."

Wrapping his arms around Tilda, the boy did his best to heed Faelwen's words and not let the little girl see the carnage around them; bodies littered the streets, some charred, some torn to pieces by the dragon's long claws when he had descended to various points of the town... some even had chunks of flesh bitten off as far as Faelwen could tell.

"Can we go now? Please...?" Sigrid begged in a shaky whisper.

Standing from the body of a young woman that she had been examining – or at least the upper half of her body, as it seemed Smaug had claimed the lower one – Faelwen closed her eyes and offered a momentary pray to the Valar for all the souls lost that night, before tracing a hand over the girl's eyes to close them even if that did little to wipe the sheer terror imprinted on her dead expression.

"Come on..." she nodded, carefully stepping over the body which was lying across the wooden street.

All around them houses were burning, making the trek difficult due to the lack of shadows to hide them. And still Faelwen walked as fast as she could, leading the group to the bridge. If only she could get them across... she could leave the children with Tauriel afterwards and come back to find Bard.

A roar echoing from the other edge of town startled them and had Faelwen turn her gaze there to see Smaug's scaly abdomen lit by the fires beneath him... and her heart cringed when she realized he was pointedly looking at something... or _someone_.

**oOoOo**

"Keep looking... all of you. It has to be here! We have to find it, even if it takes us the rest of our lives."

Literally stunned, Bilbo watched as Thorin and the rest of the Dwarves battled to search the mountains of gold in the large hall, looking for the Arkenstone. Balin alone was standing next to him, a pained gaze in his eyes as he watched Thorin falling into the same illness as his grandfather... the same insatiable lust for treasure.

"Have you gone mad?" the Hobbit suddenly heard himself shouting in anger, his crystalline voice echoing loudly against the tall ceiling.

With the Dwarves ceasing their efforts and turning to him, Bilbo gulped to swallow the knot in his throat.

"Do you not care that we sent Smaug to destroy Lake-town? Don't you care that it's _our_ fault he's killing innocent people?"

"And what would you have us do, master Baggins?" Thorin replied. "They are too far for us to reach... by the time we would arrive there, Smaug would be long done with his revenge. Lake-town is beyond our help."

"Thorin, we can still try." Balin said in an attempt to sway his decision.

"We came here on a quest... we must find the Arkenstone before Smaug returns to the mountain."

"What about Bard who risked his family's safety to help us?" Bilbo argued. "What about Faelwen who battled the Orcs in Mirkwood to keep us alive? What about Fili and Kili and Oin and Bofur, whom we left behind in that town?"

"They're all good warriors... they'll get out alive."

"Thorin..." Balin pleaded again.

"I will not forsake this quest now when I am so close to reclaiming what is mine!" the prince suddenly roared, cutting off the elder Dwarf's phrase.

Turning to the others he frowned deeply.

"Keep looking! Smaug will be back soon enough..."

While he and the others resumed their search, Bilbo turned on his heels and angrily stormed out of the hall. Upon arriving at the main entrance of the mountain, he glanced down at the lake where he sighted the town ablaze and heard faint echoes of screams that the wind carried up to Erebor, along with the scent of flaming wood and burning flesh.

"This is not why I came here..." he whispered, dropping to his knees before the horrible sight, unable to avert his terrified gaze from it.

Before he had even given it a proper thought, a yell tore itself from his chest, the slopes of the mountain echoing it back over the sad, charred ruins of Dale; and in it was mixed all the anger and grief and frustration he felt as he watched the people of Lake-town suffer because of what he and the Dwarves had done. And he felt so small and helpless at that moment... the world was so big and so scary, and he had no one to turn to for help.

"It's our fault..." he whispered once more. "This is all our fault..."

Ultimately giving in to his sorrow – as his mind flashed before his eyes the faces of everyone they had left in that town; Bard and his children... Faelwen... an injured Kili... Fili and Oin... Bofur... – he pressed his clenched fists to his eyes and broke down crying for every single innocent soul that Smaug had punished because of them.

**oOoOo**

"Well... what have we here?" Smaug rumbled mockingly when an arrow flicked against his scales, falling harmlessly into the dark waters below.

Setting amber eyes upon his assailant, he sighted the dark haired Man standing atop the roof of a nearby house, a second arrow already strung in his longbow.

"Your bravery is wasted, bowman... no arrow you possess can pierce me." he chuckled, his voice mixed with an ominous hiss.

When the male failed to reply and instead loosed the second arrow at him, Smaug bared his teeth in a grin and trailed his tongue over them.

"Oh, I know who you are... I've heard of you. Bard the Bowman, they call you."

Again Bard refused to reply, only retrieving another arrow.

"Why do you defend them?"

It was at that hissed question that his arm stopped just as he had been about to string the arrow.

"Simply because I was asleep, doesn't meant I don't know what happened outside. Why defend the people who so eagerly dismissed your words for gold? Why give your life for them?"

It wasn't as if he planned to leave the bowman alive... but Smaug had a sadistic nature and enjoyed seeing others suffer... he enjoyed destroying their hopes and having them die in despair. And again he grinned, when Bard's expression crumbled into sorrow as the magic in his voice was working its effects on the male's mind.

"They brought this upon themselves, bowman..." he hissed alluringly. "It's their fault for not listening to you... they chose the Dwarves over you... over one of their own. They sent the Dwarves into the Mountain to wake me... it's their fault that I am here tonight!"

When Bard lowered his head and dropped his shoulders, the dragon licked his lips and his chest rumbled in a low growl, almost like a purr. Oh, it was so delightful to see the bowman's spirit crack before his very eyes, but he planned to put an end to the game soon enough.

"You're right..." the bowman finally replied, raising his pained expression toward the dragon. "It _is_ their fault... but if I don't defend them, no one will."

Before Smaug could fully realize what had happened, Bard strung the arrow and fired it, the steel tip passing over the dragon's eyelid where the skin was softer. Smaug's fortune was that it hadn't impaled his eye, but still he felt the sting of pain where the arrow had pricked his skin. Without another word he loosed a furious roar and leaned back, beating his large wings which caused the fire from the nearby houses to turn into a storm.

Leaping away, the bargeman ultimately had to give up his coat as the wool lining caught fire from the sparks which Smaug's wings had thrown into the air.

"I will not rest until I burn every soul in this town!" Smaug yelled in anger. "You will watch all of them die, bowman!"

Smashing his tail atop the house in which Bard had disappeared – as that provided less chance that he would kill the male, than if he breathed a rain of fire upon the building – the dragon then soared away toward the bridge which was now full of people. Yes, he would have that sniveling fool watch his people burn, and beg for death before the end.

Sighting the dragon leave, Bard attempted to get up and follow him only to find that his legs were trapped beneath one of the large beams which had fallen from the roof.

"No!" he shouted, smashing his fist onto the floor in anger.

From there all he could do was watch as Smaug flew over the bridge and rained fire upon it, screams again filling the night air; he struggled in vain to get free, but smoke now filled his chest along with the scent of blood and burning flesh, making him choke as it clogged his lungs. And his heart cringed in pain and fear, as he prayed that Faelwen and his children would not be caught in that attack, whilst at last darkness took him.

**oOoOo**

"Incoming!"

Tauriel's shout alerted Faelwen to the approaching dragon; they had been moving slow for the past minutes as they crossed the bridge along with other people. With Tilda clinging to her waist, all the she-Elf could do for a moment was watch the beast soaring toward them and then revealing his belly whilst the dark scales on his chest and neck began to light up as he prepared to breathe fire upon the bridge.

"Run! Run for your lives!" she screamed out.

In the madness created she picked up the little girl and grabbed Bain by his coat, placing the child in his arms.

"Here, take her. Run!"

Pushing Sigrid along after her brother, she then grasped Tauriel's arm.

"Keep them safe..."

"What about you, my Lady?"

"I have to find their father. Now go! Go!"

Watching as Tauriel nimbly made her way through the panicked crowd, while dragging the children along with her, Faelwen exhaled a relieved breath as she sighted them reaching the shore just moments before Smaug loosed his attack with a loud roar. Turning on her heels and doing her best to ignore her desire to help the people still on the bridge, she sprung onto the nearest rooftop and strung an arrow to her bow.

"Here! You witless worm!" she shouted, firing the arrow at the dragon to hopefully distract him from the bridge.

Whilst relieved that her plan had worked, she felt a knot in her throat when Smaug turned his amber eyes to her.

"Well... it's been so long since I last tasted Elf." he hissed, approaching her.

Taking a moment to examine her attire, he then chuckled.

"By your cloth, you come from Mirkwood... it is overdue that I paid a visit to Thranduil, isn't it?"

"You have no business with Mirkwood." she hissed, stringing another arrow.

"Oh, but I miss my dear friend so much..." Smaug retorted mockingly. "He and I go way back. Tell me... does he not _still_ bear the marks of our last encounter?"

After all, it had been he who had scarred Thranduil's face and the Elf's only fortune lied in the fact that Smaug himself had been too young back then to face an entire army of bow-wielding soldiers.

Clenching her jaw, Faelwen did her best to not let the quivering in her heart show on her expression, at the thought of the dragon burning down the entire forest and destroying Thranduil and his people.

"You will not leave this town alive..." she promised. "We _will_ kill you!"

Narrowing his eyes, the dragon now rumbled lightly as though he was purring.

"You surely don't mean the bowman..." he finally chuckled. "I killed him already."

Seeing the way his lie caused the she-Elf to widen her eyes in horror, as tears now slithered down her cheeks glistening in the flames, he grinned.

"You care about him, do you? I am almost tempted to let you watch as I feed on his corpse... but I think not. I grow tired of games..."

Hissing out the last word, he took a deep breath whilst the scales on his chest again began to light up. When he opened his mouth, however, his eyes widened and a painful roar left his throat when Faelwen's arrow impaled his tongue, filling his mouth with the taste of his own blood and reminding him of the Elves' legendary sharp eyesight.

"You talk too much." she scowled.

"You insolent fool!" he yelled.

In his angered way of thrashing around, the she-Elf managed to slip past him whilst his tail and wings collapsed buildings all around her casting a rain of flaming wood and sparks everywhere.

"I'll find you yet, wench!" he roared behind her, shooting a river of flames on the streets she had just passed through.

But Faelwen no longer listened to him, only one thought in her head; she had to get the arrow and take him down before he turned to the people on the shore. Fate alone had her pass by the house where the dragon had left Bard... and though she had tried her best to convince herself that Smaug had lied to her, seeing him lie there unmoving hit her harder than even a direct blow from the dragon could have.

Rushing to his side and struggling for a good while to push the heavy beam off him, she then turned him onto his back and leaned down to listen for breath. Upon finding none, she turned her teary expression to him and set a trembling hand onto his cheek.

"No..." she whispered shakily. "Please... Bard..."

Her calls went unanswered, however, and she briefly glanced at the desolation around them not knowing what to do... who to turn to, in the despair she felt taking over her heart. Again her eyes settled upon his face as her slender fingers caressed his cheek; he looked so peaceful, as though he was merely asleep.

_'What grace you've given me... let it pass to him.'_ she prayed in despair, her voice now stunned in grief. _'Spare him...'_

Ultimately losing any restraint on her tears when she received no answer, she lowered her head and hid her face into his shirt, her sobs dimly echoing over the crackling fires surrounding them.

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Aww I'm so glad you got your heart broken, love :3

But joke aside, you know you make me happy when you enjoy my work and I'm just so grateful that we get to share all this and that we have so many fandoms in common, because we never run out of things to talk about or to fangirl over xD

Hope you enjoyed re-reading this chapter as well; it's been quite a bit since I first showed it to you and I altered a bit here and there but nothing important. And I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's :D

2. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** - Thank you so much, darling. I'm really glad you enjoyed the story so far, and I'm hoping you'll keep enjoying it as it unfolds. Hope you had a great time for the winter holidays :D

3. **zZhell-butterflyZz** - Aww I'm so glad you enjoyed the previous chapters, darling. Hope this one was just as good and that the future ones will be too. Hope you had lots of fun for Christmas and New Year's :D

4. **Guest** - Aww no worries, darling, I perfectly understand that. Although I do strongly encourage you to read the book as well. It will give you a better and deeper view of the characters and you'll understand the whole context much better than just from the movies. Because the movies, while very well done, can't capture all the layers and all the shades that Tolkien put in the book, so I wholeheartedly recommend that you also read the book.

But I'm really happy to hear that you're enjoying this story so much. I hope you'll get to watch the third movie soon, it's really well done apart from the nitpicks I had with it, which I explained at the beginning of this chapter (spoiler alert, if you're gonna read that).

So I hope you had lots of fun with your family and friends for the holidays and that I'll hear from you again soon :D

5. **The Shadow Next To You** - Aww I'm so happy to hear you had a great Christmas, darling. Mine was really wonderful too, thank you for asking :D

And I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapters I uploaded so far; no worries, there's much more Bard/Faelwen romance to come. Hope this new chapter was just as good and that I'll hear from you soon. And I hope you had a great time partying on New Year's :D

6. **MissLizziebeth** - Haha I completely agree with that, there's never enough love for Bard anywhere. But I'm really happy that you enjoyed the story so far. I hope what I have in store for future chapters will keep you just as entertained, darling.

Hope you had a great time for the holidays and that I'll hear from you again soon :D

7. **SamanthaJane13** **&** **Guest** - Since you both left reviews that are more or less the same thing, I'll reply to both of you in one go, darlings. I'm really glad that you're both enjoying the story up to this point. I hope future updates will be just as good and that I won't mess up along the way. Hope you both had a great time for the holidays, darlings :D

8. **ViolaPearl** - Oh my gosh, darling, thank you so so so much for this awesome and heartwarming review. I'm really so happy to hear that you're enjoying my little attempt at a story. And no worries, I have a lot planned for our lovely bowman and his Elven lover after the events of _The Hobbit _;)

As for the kissing scene... while I may speak it to my shame, I'll admit that it wasn't planned out specifically to connect with her cover as to why she's in Lake-town. I just really went with the flow of the story and it just came out naturally (I know, poor reasoning for a writer wannabe xD). I just felt that was when it had to happen so I allowed my mind to put it out as it wanted and that was the end result. But I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much and I hope this new chapter rose to your expectations.

Hope you had a wonderful time for Christmas and New Year's, darling. I'm looking forward to hear from you again soon :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	8. The great fall

Sooo darlings, here we are at the next installment of our lovely pair's adventures. Now, I have only one mention to make before I let you enjoy the story.

Some of you may not like the scene I wrote in this chapter for Legolas and Bolg. But I wrote it before watching the movie, and after watching the movie I decided not to change it. Not because I didn't totally drool over Legolas being such a badass, but because in the movie the fight took way longer than it should have. If you all remember, in _Return of the King_ Legolas took down a fully grown Oliphant carrying 10-20 men armed to the teeth, in less than half the time it took him to kill Bolg. So we knew already that Legolas is a highly skilled warrior and it's my strong belief that the fight between him and Bolg was dragged along as much as possible, simply to make it seem as if Bolg was actually an adversary worthy of the skills of an Elf. Which he wasn't, is what I'm saying...

So, with the hope that you guys won't hate me too much for how I wrote Bolg off the face of Middle Earth, I'll leave you to enjoy this new chapter. And don't worry, I'll give Legolas something to do in the final battle, to compensate for the fact that I basically deleted that scene from my version of the _Hobbit_ universe.

So enjoy, lovelies, and don't forget to toss me a little review, you know how much I love replying to you darlings :D

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><span><strong>8. The great fall<strong>

_Ultimately losing any restraint on her tears when she received no answer, she lowered her head and hid her face into his shirt, her sobs dimly echoing over the crackling fires surrounding them._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

The first thing Bard remembered was standing alone in utter darkness... and then sighting a flicker of light far away. And as he moved toward it he started feeling his body again, as well as the pain spreading from his legs. But still he clenched his teeth and kept running toward that light until he was engulfed by it so suddenly that for a moment he believed he had gone blind.

Ultimately opening his eyes he again saw that same warm, soothing light... only to realize it was spreading from Faelwen's body as she still cried onto his chest. When he set a hand onto her head to stroke her hair – in his desire to end her sorrow – she jolted in surprise and leaned up to look down at him. And beyond her surprised expression... beyond the tears sparkling in her eyes like diamonds... beyond the remnants of fear and pain left in her sapphire gaze... beyond all that, she appeared to him now more beautiful than anything he had ever seen.

He had heard tales that Elves only revealed themselves in their true beauty to the dying, who had already set one foot into the realm beyond this life, where it was said that the Elves themselves had come from. Still, he didn't really feel as though he was dying... if anything he felt renewed strength in his body, chasing away his fatigue and pain. And as the light around her began to fade he understood that she had somehow saved his life.

Ultimately sitting up he reached a hand to her, only to have the she-Elf lunge herself into his arms and latch onto him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you..." he whispered, holding her dearly.

Her only reply was to offer him a teary smile, her fingertips caressing his cheek as she now cried in joy. Leaning his forehead against hers, the bargeman too smiled and leaned to claim her lips. And for a moment he felt the entire world around them fade away; all the death... all the destruction... all the terror... there was nothing left anymore, except him and the woman who had instilled life into his heart again.

"Why did you come back?" he finally asked softly, again pulling her into his arms.

Looking up at him, the female allowed her smile to fade although her expression remained just as warm and loving.

"I know what it feels like to grow up knowing your parents are dead. Do not ask me to watch your children growing up with the same knowledge."

"Are they safe?"

"Tauriel got them across the bridge just before Smaug attacked. They are safe for now, on the lakeside. Tauriel will look after them."

Exhaling a relieved breath, Bard averted his sea colored gaze to the sky; a heavy, deathly silence had fallen over the town by now and he could only hope that as many people as possible had managed to cross that bridge.

"We have to keep him focused on us... or he'll go after the others."

"That won't be too hard... I seem to have offended him earlier."

Looking back to her, the male narrowed his eyes in confusion causing Faelwen to chuckle lightly.

"I shot an arrow in his tongue when he tried to burn me... yet he seemed oddly displeased by that." she replied humorously, faking a contemplating expression.

With an amused huff, Bard took to his feet and pulled the woman to stand as well before retrieving his bow and arrow quiver.

"We should give him something to cheer him up."

**oOoOo**

"Halt, you vile thing! Come back and face me!"

The blond prince's bellows went unanswered as Bolg merely spurred his Warg on toward Mirkwood, likely hoping to lose Legolas in the thick vegetation or to find a tight spot and ambush him.

Upon nearing the forest, however, he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Thranduil's army advancing out from beneath the shade of the trees, the king himself leading them atop his battle elk. With the animal halting at the sight of the snarling Warg and prancing in fear, almost throwing its rider from the saddle, two Elves rushed to grab the reins and settle the moose down while another strung an arrow in his bow and fired it straight through the Orc's forehead.

"I am well..." Thranduil stated to the inquisitive glances of his men.

It was moments afterwards that Legolas' horse caught up with the scene, the young prince clenching his jaw in anger.

"Why did you do that?" he called out to his father. "This was my fight!"

"It makes no difference who slays one Orc." the king replied calmly. "What matters is erasing another evil from this earth."

Though he narrowed his eyes, Legolas ultimately could not deny the truth of his father's words. With an angry sigh he returned Orcrist to its sheath whilst Thranduil now led his moose past him, beckoning Legolas to follow.

"Where are we going?" the prince finally asked.

"To reclaim what belongs to me."

"And what of the dragon lurking in Erebor?"

Clenching his jaw, Thranduil finally allowed his expression to betray a spark of anger.

"Too long has that beast laid there... too long have we lived in fear of seeing him burn down the woods."

Falling silent at his father's reply, Legolas merely steered the horse to walk alongside Thranduil's elk. Upon nearing the Long Lake, however, the Elvenking raised a hand for his army to halt, whilst tugging on the reins to also stop his ride. Following his example and bringing the hose to a standstill, Legolas felt his eyes widening at the sight of the burning town and the dragon soaring over it, apparently searching for something.

He could almost feel his father's body growing tense; and yet Thranduil did not order the army to move out. While it was true that he desired to slay Smaug, he was also torn by the desire to not lead his men to certain death.

**oOoOo**

"Have you found it?"

Bard's urgent tone caused the she-Elf to look up at him and shake her head, a distressed expression on her face. They had managed to reach the center of town only to find that most of the boats which once floated on the water there had been sunk in the dragon's attacks. Deciding not to let that kill their hopes, the two had taken to searching through the boats still afloat, but with little luck in finding the Black Arrow.

"Here!" the bargeman suddenly called out from the other end of the dock.

His face lit up in a relieved grin whilst he held up the steel projectile. Abandoning the boat she had been searching through, Faelwen rushed to him just when Smaug's voice surrounded them.

"You're tougher than I thought... bowman." he hissed. "Well... I will not make the same mistake again."

Opening his mouth, he inhaled deeply and prepared to rain fire down upon both Bard and the she-Elf. Their escape was narrow, but ultimately Bard led Faelwen into the Master's house and handed her the arrow.

"Go to the top of the tower and set it to the bow... shoot him down!" he said urgently.

"What... what about you?" she replied, taken aback by that statement.

"I'll keep him distracted until you can kill him."

"No..." she pleaded, grasping his arm when he tried to leave.

Before she could protest any longer, the male turned back to her and the next thing she knew his arms were around her and his mouth crashed onto hers in a loving but ultimately hopeless embrace. She could so easily read the resignation in his being that it brought tears to her eyes even as he still kissed her.

His departure was so sudden that it took her a moment to regain her bearings; settling down her breath she clenched her jaw to steel her will, before turning on her heels and rushing up the stairs while outside she could hear Bard calling out to Smaug and the dragon's roar as he took the bait.

Amidst the terrible mess in that building, it took her quite a few minutes before she finally found the door leading to the spiraling staircase which ended at the top of the tower, near the windlance. For a moment she tripped and nearly fell over the short railing when Smaug soared just a few feet away from her... and fortunately, he seemed to be much too occupied with Bard on a nearby roof, to notice her.

Regaining her balance she rushed over to the massive bow and strung the arrow in it; it was then that Smaug heard the familiar sound and turned to her, pinning her down with amber eyes in which anger and hatred mixed in a deadly cocktail.

"You..." he rumbled.

"Shoot him!" Bard called out. "Shoot him now!"

Smashing his tail into the house Bard was standing on the dragon collapsed part of the roof along with the bargeman, before swooping down toward Faelwen. When he flew over her, his wings caused a current powerful enough to sweep the lithe she-Elf from the roof, her scream echoing in the night when she fell over the railing, barely having enough time to grab onto it.

It was that sound that caused Bard to come out of the dizzy state he had been left in from the fall, and he raised his eyes to the tower to see the dragon once more soaring past the building. That time around, however, one of his wings extended outwards and his claws caused part of the tower's side to crumble before he swooped upwards, unwittingly exposing his belly to the bow.

"No..."

The cause for the bargeman's terrified whisper was the sight of Faelwen wrapped in Smaug's claws whilst the dragon held himself up easily enough with just one wing. Stumbling to his feet, Bard now used the pile of debris left from the rooftop, to make his way toward the windlance. That was their only chance... and his desire to not watch Faelwen die was what gave him strength despite the pain wracking his battered body.

Upon sighting the bargeman's race to reach the weapon, Smaug grinned and turned back to the she-Elf in his grasp.

"I'll have him watch you burn..." he growled in satisfaction. "And when his last hope is shattered, only then will I grant him the death he will beg for."

Looking down to the rooftops along which Bard was now running, his chuckle filled the cold air.

"Hurry, bowman, hurry... and I will let you say farewell to her." he purred.

Again he grinned at the murderous glare in the bargeman's eyes and watched as the young male now leapt onto the side of the tower and began the arduous climb to the top. It was when Bard reached the rooftop and turned to face them that Faelwen finally reached her dagger and impaled the blade into the underside of the dragon's wing which was covered in smaller, finer scales than the rest of his body.

A painful roar echoed over the burning city and the dragon involuntarily loosened his hold on her; her brief joy was cut short, however, when he turned his head to her and bared his teeth whilst his grasp on her tightened until she could barely breathe anymore.

"I have had enough of you, insolent wench!" he bellowed in her ears, making Faelwen feel as though someone had hit her in the head with a hammer.

"That feeling we share!" Bard called out.

Looking to him, the dragon growled upon sighting the bargeman standing behind the windlance, his hands firmly set upon its handles and a venomous spark in his narrowed eyes. Narrowing his eyes in return, the dragon grumbled lowly.

"It will take more than one arrow to pierce me, bowman." he stated, putting all his magic into his tone so as to discourage Bard from attacking. "You are wasting your last moments with a failed attempt at slaying me, when you could use them better and prepare for your end."

When the male failed to reply to his taunts and instead tightened his hold on the bow's handles while searching for a good spot where he could shoot, Smaug grinned.

"Say you succeed and kill me, bowman..." he stated. "What do you think would happen to her? Shoot me down and I will take her with me to the bottom of the lake!"

It was at that that Bard's expression lost some of its focus, as Smaug raised his claws to draw the bargeman's attention to the she-Elf in his grasp.

"Do not think of me!" Faelwen shouted over the dragon's loud purr. "Just shoot him while you have a chance!"

Sighting Bard's hopeless gaze as he looked up at her, Faelwen clenched her jaw.

"No... Bard, don't give in! Don't listen to him!" she pleaded.

"Look at him..." Smaug chuckled. "He doesn't have it in him to sacrifice an innocent life and take me down."

When the bargeman dropped his shoulders under the weight of Smaug's magic, the she-Elf felt her heart quivering.

"Kill him!" she screamed. "Or he'll kill your children!"

"Indeed I will..." the dragon grinned. "I am almost tempted to let him watch..."

For a brief moment his eagerness to get it over with caused the magic in his voice to falter... and that was enough for Bard to shake off the hopeless veil which had been clouding his mind.

"It will not be our end, but yours..." the bargeman now replied, raising his gaze to Smaug and revealing a renewed spark of determination in his eyes.

"Will it? Then allow me to show you how foolish your beliefs are!" the dragon growled at the end of his patience, annoyed that a pathetic human dared to stand up to him again and again.

With Smaug inhaling deeply and the scales on his chest lighting up, he exposed his belly just enough for Bard to catch a glimpse of the missing scale above his heart.

"Tonight I avenge all those you have slain... enough of your evil has spread on this earth!"

With that shout amidst the dragon's growl, the bargeman tightened his hold on the handles of the windlance and forcefully pulled back the bow, releasing the arrow which now sang its ominous tone as it whirled toward its mark. Too late did Smaug realize where the bargeman had pointed the weapon... late enough that he soon felt the dark steel biting into his flesh as the arrow impaled itself into his chest all the way, the tip piercing his heart.

At the sudden pain he threw his head back and released a river of flames into the air; the roar which left his throat along with the fire could not have been any louder or any more painful. And the last thing he heard before death took him was the crowd of humans on the lakeside erupting into cheers as his wing failed to keep him in the air anymore. His fall was terrible, his massive body taking almost the entire town with it to the bottom. But in his fall he did indeed take Faelwen with him into the icy waters.

A moment was all the time that Bard allowed himself to watch the dragon plummeting from the sky, before he rushed to the edge of the tower and dived after the beast, to retrieve his woman. The impact with the freezing lake stunned him for a moment, but he took a deep breath and went under, grateful that the burning houses provided enough light for him to sight the dragon as it slowly sank toward the bottom.

By the time he reached them, Faelwen was no longer awake and for a moment Bard had to stop to settle his heart down, else he ran out of air too soon. Using his sword to pry the dragon's claws from her, he then wrapped an arm around her waist and headed up, breaking the surface just when his lungs had started burning from lack of air.

"Bard!"

Glancing in all directions at that call, he soon sighted Braga in a boat with two other soldiers, who were rowing as fast as they could to reach them.

"Here, take her..." he said when the boat glided next to him.

With Braga and one of the other men pulling the female into the boat, Bard hefted himself out of the icy waters as well. Reaching the lakeside in the cheers of the crowd, he ignored everyone there in favor of retrieving Faelwen and setting her onto the grass.

"Here..."

Looking up at the woman who had spoken, he nodded in gratitude for the thick blanked she offered him, covering Faelwen with it and rubbing her arms to try and warm her up.

"Come on... come on..." he whispered pleadingly.

All his efforts were in vain, as the she-Elf neither moved nor spoke. Ultimately approaching him, Braga now set a hand onto his shoulder whilst Tauriel arrived along with the children.

"Bard..." he said gently.

"No!" the bargeman shouted, his painful voice drowning in tears. "She's not dead... she can't be dead..."

Gathering her in his arms, he pressed a kiss to her frozen lips.

"Please..." he whispered. "Don't go where I can't follow you..."

With his plea going unanswered, he clenched his jaw whilst his shoulders now shook as he broke down into sobs, lowering his head to her chest. And in the deathly silence which had befallen the crowd gathered around him, his painful shout of anger and despair rang out over the desolate remains of Lake-town still burning on the water.

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><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** - Aww I'm so glad you're loving the story so far, darling. And I completely understand that; one of the reasons that compelled me to start writing this story was the almost complete lack of Bard/OC pairings on the website, and the fact that most of the stories with such a pairing are of poor quality and not worth the time it would take to read them (though that may just be me, because I have very high standards for stories... aside from a couple of guilty pleasures).

So in that, I'm especially glad when people enjoy my stories even though I don't consider myself some great talent or genius when it comes to writing :D

2. **Shiva** - See? See what happens when you wish for something? You get it~ ;)

But joke aside, I'm really happy to hear you got so involved into the story that the cliffhanger actually got to you. Maybe it's a weird thing, but I really am glad when I hear things like that, because I don't get to experience that emotional roller coaster with my own stories, because I already know what's coming and what will happen to the characters. So I am thrilled when people tell me how they actually related to the characters and how they loved them or hated them or felt sorry for them, because that's what lets me know if I did a good job or not as I can't rely on myself most of the time for that kind of feedback.

So yes, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the story so far and I hope this chapter was just as entertaining. Hope to hear from you again soon, darling :D

3. **NightlyRowenTree** - Happy New Year to you too, darling! Hope your start of 2015 was a great one and that the rest of the year will be great as well :D

I always love seeing people get excited over my stories, because that gets me excited too and only spurs me on to keep writing and to keep improving, to hopefully always make the next chapter more entertaining than the last. So I'm hoping you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous ones, darling, and that I'll hear from you again soon :D

4. **The Shadow Next To You** - Haha yeah he is very misunderstood, probably the most misunderstood of all the Elves Tolkien developed in his stories. Then again, most people probably only know him from _The Hobbit_, and that story doesn't do him too much justice. I'm not sure how many fans actually took the time to read _The Silmarillion_ or Tolkien's _Unfinished Tales_, which is where Thranduil's back story and character is presented in more detail.

But I have read them and that's why I'm going to keep Thranduil true to himself, so to speak, by making him as Tolkien depicted him and intended for him to be. Because the movies really failed to capture the essence of who Thranduil is and how he is. So hopefully, I'll be able to present an image of him that will stay true to Tolkien's work without pulling anyone out of the story because of Thranduil being too different from how he was in the movies.

As for romance, no worries, there's more to come. But I hired a couple of Elf bodyguards just in case you decide it's not enough ;)

5. **ViolaPearl** - Aww I'm so glad I managed to keep Smaug in-character, darling. That was one of my greatest fears, because to be honest I haven't seen too much of Benedict Cumberbatch, so as to get a feel for how he talks. I'm more of a Tom Hiddleston fangirl (even if it was insanely hard to keep even him in Loki's character for my Avengers fic) though I will definitely be watching Ben's take on Sherlock in the near future. I've read some reviews and watched a few clips from the series and I have to admit I'm eager to watch it all, particularly since Sherlock Holmes is a favorite of mine, and I loved RDJ's take in the two movies so I'm extremely curious to see Ben's approach to the character.

But without straying too much from the subject here, I am extremely relieved to hear I managed to keep Smaug credible and that he didn't seem out of character. My friends usually tell me I have a good knack for keeping canon characters in-character, but I'm always a bit paranoid about it so feedback from the readers is highly appreciated in that direction. And yes, _wenches_ and _insolent fools_ should really become part of regular speech again xD

Also, not sure how sooty and sweaty the reunion kiss was in this chapter, I hope it wasn't too disappointing. It just didn't feel right to put a too passionate kiss in that scene, given the danger which was still literally looming around them. I think anyone in that situation would have been much too tense for any actual passion to be put into a kiss.

But, hoping that wasn't too much of a let down, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous ones, darling, and that I'll hear from you again soon :D

6. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Darling, you always spoil me with your reviews; it's gonna get to my head one day xD

But really, your know I'm always happy that your second reading of my stories is just as good as the first one. And without you encouraging me to start uploading this, this story probably would have never seen the "light of day". So for that I owe you one, love :D

7. **archerlily 67** - Wow now that's quite some excitement there, darling. I am so happy that you enjoyed the story so far :D

To be honest, when I wrote the first two chapters, Faelwen had been intended to be the pairing for Legolas actually. But then I re-watched the second Hobbit movie and the scenes that played out in my head while watching it made me unable to go through with my initial plan, because I realized Faelwen, the way I was going to write her, was better suited for Bard.

So there, it's out now, she wasn't originally meant to end up with Bard. But maybe after I'm done with this story I'll give Legolas a love interest as well... one that is NOT the pathetic Tauriel xD

But I'm really glad you enjoyed the previous chapters and I hope the next ones will be just as entertaining. Hope to hear from you again soon, darling :D

8. **Princess-Cissnei** - Darling, thank you so much for that heartwarming compliment. I am glad that I managed to give the story a more refreshing vibe, because I too have browsed the Bard section on the website and found almost nothing worth reading, which is one of the reasons that compelled me to create this story in the first place. Poor Bard never gets enough love anywhere, and he definitely deserves a lot more.

But I'm really happy to hear that you love this story so much and I always enjoy hearing that from readers, because I've been here long enough to know how scarce good stories are on this website. So I'm always happy when my readers tell me that I gave them a story they can enjoy and get immersed in, and that it's worth the time they take to read it. That's what keeps me writing and I am so grateful to all my lovelies for it.

So on that note, thank you so much for this lovely review, darling. I hope to hear from you again soon :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	9. BotFA review (spoilers)

So here's my rant about _The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies_, which I wrote for **SuperNaturalxxFreak**, who is also my beta-reader. It kind of turned out as a review of the whole movie, so – because I'm curious by nature – I decided to upload it here so you all can see my honest opinions about the movie and maybe discuss your own opinions with me :)

For those who have not yet watched the movie, big time _**spoiler alert**_ right here. If you don't want the movie spoiled for you, then I suggest you don't read this until after you've watched it.

So with that said, here we go~

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><p><span><strong>The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies<strong>

**- Review (with spoilers) -**

I'll start by saying that the amount of tear jerking scenes was insane. I don't think I've ever felt like crying at a movie more often than for this one, and that's probably one of the best compliments a movie can get.

And yes, Bard was definitely super hot. Although I expected a better scene with Smaug. It just seemed a bit rushed, just like Fili's death. It was like P.J. went all: "Eh, won't be needing the dragon and Fili anymore, so let's just cut them out."

The confrontation between Bard and Smaug had the potential to be super awesome, I expected a **LOT** more Smaugness from Smaug... or at least more Cumberbatchiness. He had I think 3-4 flat lines and then Bard shot him down. That was a pathetic and frankly embarrassing death for such a great character. Sure, I know Bard was supposed to shoot him down just like that, and Tolkien himself didn't develop that scene in the book any more than P.J. did in the movie, but still... I expected better from P.J. after he made such wonderful Middle Earth movies before.

In that regard, I'm way more satisfied with the scene I wrote in the fanfic, with the repeated confrontations between Bard and Smaug, because Smaug deserved more screen time in this movie than the amount he got. The second movie set him up to be a much more important character than a five-minute appearance. So that's one of the nitpicks I have about this movie.

Another one is, as so many people wonderfully pointed out, **WAY TOO MUCH** Alfrid!

He would have been much better off as a character, had he died in the city along with the Master. Even though in the book they both survive, they're nowhere near as important as P.J. made Alfrid in this movie. I'm seriously hoping this was something that P.J.'s bosses imposed on him, because I don't want to believe he would intentionally give so much screen time to an insignificant character, taking away from the important ones like Smaug.

There were so many moments in the movie where I kept thinking: "Dude, you should've gotten Joss Whedon to write your script." Then every insignificant character would've been relevant to the story in a way that didn't seem shoehorned in and didn't detract from the immersive element of the movie. After the first few scenes with Alfrid, which I enjoyed for the humor and whatnot, any time he appeared on screen I was like: "Come on, can we please get back to something else? Like Bard... or Gandalf... or Thranduil... or you know, the premise of this whole movie, which is Bilbo and Thorin. You know... the **IMPORTANT** people!" Heck, even more footage of Azog would've been more interesting and probably better received by the public, than Alfrid.

If at least P.J. would've changed the book storyline and had Alfrid redeem himself by becoming a better man or finding his courage or whatnot, then yes all that footage would've been relevant and interesting... but he was just the same wretched weasel till the very end. And while that kept in accordance with the book, it didn't work at all for the movie.

Now I have a reviewer on YouTube – called Jeremy Jahns – that I follow actively, because his reviews are not just insanely funny, but he and I also have pretty much the same taste in movies. And when he complained about Alfrid at first I thought: "Ah, he's joking, dude loved _Lord of the Rings_ and he loved the first two _Hobbit_ movies." But apparently he wasn't, and I honestly think that the dude who plays Alfrid is either a _very_ close friend of P.J.'s, or he had someone pull some strings to give him that insane amount of screen time.

But yeah, enough of Alfrid... let's move on to the actual reason for this entire story, which is Bilbo and the Dwarves.

Now regarding them, I would've loved to have more Bilbo. He wasn't even the main character anymore in this last movie, which is sad. Because the entire book is about **HIM** and **HIS** journey and **HIS** adventures and the way **HE** discovers his courage and learns that he could do things he never thought possible. And here they just focused **SO DAMN MUCH** on Alfrid and the people of Lake-town that poor Bilbo didn't even matter anymore in the storyline. If at least they would've focused on Bard or on Thranduil more, then yeah I probably wouldn't have missed Bilbo so much, but they didn't.

Thorin got his **ONE** moment of glory when fighting Azog for about ten minutes (which is pretty lengthy for a one-on-one fight), while the rest of the Dwarves were almost non-existent. And the rest of that Battle of the Five Armies was Bolg vs. Kili, then Legolas vs. Bolg and that was about it. The Eagles and Beorn, who played such a pivotal role in the book, were reduced to just stress relief in this battle and so was Dain Ironfoot.

Beorn was the one who saved the mortally wounded Thorin from dying among Orcs and Goblins, and brought him back to the camp so he could die seeing Bilbo's face instead of the ugly mug of an Orc. And he was nowhere in this fight... they showed him arriving with Radagast (who, after dropping off Beorn on the battlefield, vanished probably in mushroom smoke) and changing into his bear form and that was the last we ever saw of him.

Did he die? Did the Orcs kill him and hung his skin on the walls in Goblin Town? Did he go all: "Eh, fuck the Dwarves." and ran away? I mean what the hell happened to him? What happened to Radagast? What happened to the Eagles after they arrived and dived into the Orc ranks? Did they end up roasted on spikes?

And again, they focused way too much on the people of Lake-town defending the ruins of Dale. That wasn't as important as P.J. wanted to make it look in the movie, instead it just felt like he was shoving it down our throats.

And, like a lot of other people, I too asked myself in the theater: "Where the hell is Thorin's funeral? Why didn't they show Bard placing the Arkenstone on his chest and Thranduil laying Orcrist at his side? Why didn't they show Fili and Kili getting buried with him?" I would've wanted to even see Tauriel crying over Kili's grave; even that would've been better than no burial.

They wasted way too much time on the whole Kili/Tauriel romance, which in all honesty fell utterly flat in this movie. And they wasted way too much time on Legolas vs. Bolg; that fight should **NOT** have taken as long as it did, with Legolas being the son of such a great warrior as Thranduil is. And as much as it pains me to say it, they wasted way too much time on the people of Lake-town, and even Bard had a couple of scenes where I was like: "This didn't really need to be in the movie." I'm referring in particular to the scenes with his children.

Why the hell did he even take **ALL** the people to Dale? Why couldn't they just stick to the book and have Thranduil arrive on the lakeside and then have Bard and **JUST** the healthy men follow the Elven army to Dale and Erebor? What was the point of having so many people slaughtered by Orcs, after they'd already had more than half of their own slaughtered by Smaug? I don't think Bard would've been any less courageous or any less valiant if his children were safe on the lakeside, than he was in the actual movie where his children were in mortal danger all the time.

That part just felt like P.J. was trying to redo the battle at Helm's Deep in this movie, except he failed because it didn't make any sense for all those people to be in Dale.

So the only redeeming hope for this movie would be if P.J. made an outstanding extended version for the DVD/Blu-ray. With the first movie a lot of people complained that they felt like he put the extended edition into the theaters, so I'm guessing he was trying to avoid that, if he heard of those comments. So here's to hoping that the extended edition will explain all those plot holes and make a much better movie than the theatrical release.

But yes, on to Thranduil and the Elves.

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with how Thranduil was portrayed in the movie. Lee Pace did an outstanding job playing him, and I honestly don't blame any negative points on him, but rather on the poor quality script he had to work with.

Now first off, Thranduil is **NOT** as sassy as they portrayed him. I didn't mind it that much in the second movie, because I hoped they would keep him true to the book in this third one. Sadly they didn't get him 100% right.

As I mentioned at the beginning of chapter 7, Thranduil is **NOT** obsessed with treasure and he is, in fact, the only one in the book – aside from Gandalf and Bilbo – who does **NOT** want to start a war over the treasure hoard in Erebor. Also he didn't have this serial killer mentality of: "Kill anything that moves on that mountain." That was completely unlike him, as far as I can think of. Sure, it makes for a good image considering he's a king and a warrior, but P.J. kind of forgot that Thranduil is an Elf as well. And it's not in the nature of Elves to mistreat or kill other living creatures. Heck, they even treated Gollum kindly all the years that he spent in Thranduil's dungeons.

Yes, Elves don't like Dwarves and I know the story about the ancient grudge they have between them. Long story short, the grudge started because the Dwarves were assholes and had to kill an Elf king for a stupid necklace. But even so, I felt like that grudge was exaggerated more than it should have been. Thranduil definitely would **NOT** have stood aside and watched the Dwarves charging by themselves into battle, until it was almost too late to help them. He was also **NOT** that rude to Bard when he brought food and water for the people of Lake-town.

Also when I was on YouTube watching the reviews Jeremy did for _Lord of the Rings_, he said in his review for _Return of the King_ that he was curious to see in the third _Hobbit_ movie what Bilbo did, that convinced the Elves to give him the honor of sailing with them to Valinor.

But they didn't show that scene; it was the scene in the book where Bilbo and Gandalf – on their way back to the Shire – arrive in Mirkwood with Thranduil and his army. And at parting from him, Bilbo gives him a necklace of white gems saying he was giving the Elvenking that gift as apology for all the wine and bread he stole in the days he spent hidden in Mirkwood, waiting for a good moment to rescue Thorin and the others. And Thranduil, for that gesture and for his courage and the help he provided by giving them the Arkenstone to use as leverage and avoid a bloody battle with Thorin and the others, names him "Elf friend and blessed"... and **THAT** is what Bilbo did, that earned him the honor of going to Valinor where only Elves went.

But they cut that out entirely. Then again, they did make Thranduil so different from the book, that having that scene at the end would've probably made him seem so unlike how he was until that point, that people would have been shocked. And it's sad, it really is, because Thranduil is such a great character with many layers and a great amount of depth to him, and I expected something a lot better for him in the movie.

That is to say, he did have some good points as well. Particularly two scenes at the end: one where he's walking among the dead in Dale and you can see his eyes are glazed over and it kind of looks like he's getting tears in his eyes. That – and his decision to end the battle right then and there and return to Mirkwood before he caused the death of any more of his people – was one of the redeeming scenes in this movie for him. The second one was when they show him walking through that outpost up on the mountain, looking for Legolas, and in that scene you can just see the father in him. That was such an emotional scene (or at least I was so emotionally invested in it) that I actually had tears sliding down my cheeks.

But yeah, I expected a lot better for him. As for Tauriel... to be honest I was hoping P.J. would kill her in the movie. It seems so weird to have her just sort of vanish into nothingness, considering she's **NOT** in the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. It felt like she had no conclusion as a character, and it just left me with a really weird unaccomplished sensation.

And Legolas... well I have to admit he was really badass in this movie, much more so than I expected. He honestly made me rethink my teen crush on him, that I had back when _Lord of the Rings_ came out. If he'd been like this in _Lord of the Rings_, those movies would've been even **MORE** epic.

And before I forget, let me touch a bit on the insane use of CGI in this movie.

The problem, I feel, is that P.J. didn't do what he did for _Lord of the Rings_, which was to make an army with 1.000 people dressed up as Orcs and have the rest, up to 10.000, as CGI. Here, he used probably 50-100 people and the rest was animated, which just doesn't give it the same realistic feeling.

Also the backgrounds were often jarring enough to pull you out of the illusion the movie was supposed to immerse your brain into. In _Lord of the Rings_ P.J. had a LOT more shots of real places – forests, plains, mountains, rivers – than he did in _The Hobbit_ movies. I think more than 2/3 of the nature we see in the background in this trilogy is CGI, which just doesn't feel as good as the real shots in _Lord of the Rings_ felt. You could tell so often that the characters were running or walking on a green screen, rather than in an actual forest/plain/valley.

To be honest, in the entire _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy the **ONLY** scene where I could tell it was CGI, was the scene with Legolas taking down the Oliphant in front of Minas Tirith. That was the **ONLY** scene where I could tell that Legolas swinging along the elephant's body was CGI; nothing else stood out for me enough to snap my brain out of the illusion that it was real.

Which just goes to show that spending a bit more money, and getting more actual people/nature shots than computer images, makes for better movies.

But yes to conclude my rant, I really had much higher expectations from this movie. The conclusion of a trilogy should **NOT** leave me with any questions on the way home. This didn't feel like the end of a trilogy, like _Return of the King_ did. There are way too many loose ends and way too many plot holes that were never filled.

And I hated that they took away Fili and Kili's honor in a way, because in the book they died fighting to save Thorin's life, they died defending him on the battlefield which was a very heroic death. Here Fili died a bitch's death, getting taken out in five seconds like a little kid even though he was a very skilled warrior, and Kili died fighting for vengeance to avenge his brother.

So aside from those two scenes with Thranduil, the only redeeming qualities of this movie were Luke's exceptional portrayal of Bard, Lee's exceptional portrayal of Thranduil (despite the crappy script he was given), Legolas being a super hot badass, poor Bilbo being his usual funny self in the tiny amount of screen time he got and the fact that I love Tolkien's works so much that I can **NOT** hate this movie, despite everything I complained about.

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><p>So there you have it, lovelies; my completely honest opinion on how this last Middle Earth movie did. I am really looking forward to the extended edition coming out on DVD, because I still have hope that this movie <strong>CAN<strong> be better than the theatrical release.

So toss me a review or a PM and let me know what you thought of it. I don't mind if you disagree with my points of view; people are nothing if not opinionated and everyone has a different way of seeing the same thing.

So let me know how you felt when watching the movie and if you loved it, or hated it, or if you're somewhere in between. I would love to discuss this with you, darlings :D


	10. Kings and Lords

Sooo lovelies, I have a bit of bad news for you. I have no idea when I'll upload the next chapter. Exams start on Monday so the next three weeks will be kind of hectic for me. I'll do my best to keep my one-chapter-per-week rhythm, but I can't promise anything given how much we have to study.

But for now, enjoy this chapter, darlings, and don't forget to toss me a little review :D

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

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><p><strong><span>9. Kings and Lords<span>**

_In the deathly silence which had befallen the crowd gathered around him, his painful shout of anger and despair rang out over the desolate remains of Lake-town still burning on the water._

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

"There are people on the lakeshore."

Turning his azure gaze to where Legolas was pointing, the Elvenking finally motioned his army to move and steered the moose toward the crowd. Though his face did not show it, he was joyous in his heart at the dragon's fall and felt grateful that he had been there to see it. He would offer his help to the survivors of Lake-town as payment for their deed.

Soon after approaching, the crowd began to part to make way for him until at long last he set his gaze upon Bard and the female he was holding... and his eyes widened as his heart cringed at the sight. And then he dismounted and approached on foot, whilst Tauriel walked to Legolas once the young prince had left his horse as well.

_**"****What happened?" **_he asked.

_**"****She... she fell with the dragon..."**_ the she-Elf replied in sorrow.

Shying away beneath Legolas' shocked glance, the redhead turned her eyes to where Thranduil had knelt onto the grass after Bard had set Faelwen down again, the crowd now murmuring in regards to his unexpected presence there.

For a moment even the Elvenking's expression betrayed a shade of shocked grief; but then he set a hand upon the woman's forehead, the other embracing her slender fingers in warmth whilst he closed his eyes. And next to him Bard was silently watching and praying, knowing that Thranduil was now the only one who could save her.

Sure enough, a few moments later the young woman's chest began to heave and her body started shivering from the cold, and Bard found himself unable to hold back a smile.

Upon opening his eyes, Thranduil briefly pulled the blanket aside to check for wounds whilst Faelwen slowly opened her own eyes, staring at the blond Elf leaning over her.

"My Lord..." she whispered, making him turn his eyes to her.

By his expression, she would have to endure quite the scolding when she felt better. But for now the Elvenking settled for looking over to Bard with a light nod and moving to his feet.

"Set up tents for these people. Send a group back to Mirkwood to bring food and water. Bring healers with you as well and new clothes." he said to one of the nearby Elves who now rushed to fulfill his order.

Looking up from Faelwen, Bard exhaled a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, my Lord." he replied, utterly grateful that he would not have to watch his people starve and freeze to death.

"Esgaroth has always been in good relations with my people."

With that unreadable reply, Thranduil now walked away to rejoin his army whilst Bard again gathered the she-Elf in his arms.

"There are no words to say how happy I am right now..." he whispered.

"Indeed..." she replied, pressing her lips to his still wet cheek whilst he stroked her hair. "But you saved them..."

Opening his eyes, the bargeman now turned his teary gaze to the burning ruins.

"Not all of them..."

Leaning back to sight his expression, the she-Elf took to caressing his cheek.

"You saved as many as you could... no one will hold you guilty for those who died."

"My Lord?"

Looking up at the unfamiliar voice, Bard sighted a dark haired Elf standing nearby.

"Lady Faelwen's tent is ready." he said gently.

Nodding, the bargeman now stood while cradling the woman and moved to walk past the young warrior.

"I am no Lord..." he replied with a faint smile, leaving a puzzled Elf in his wake.

**oOoOo**

"You're alright!"

The next thing Faelwen knew, she was nearly thrown back when Tilda lunged herself in the she-Elf's arms where Bard had set her down onto thick blankets. Smiling warmly, the woman set her arms around the small girl whilst Tilda curled up in her lap.

"Forgive me if I frightened you..."

"Da!"

Looking up once more, to sight Sigrid and Bain embracing Bard, Faelwen again smiled; her humor took a turn for confusion, however, when the two elder children then embraced her along with their sister.

"We were so worried." Sigrid breathed out in relief.

"We thought the dragon was going to kill you both." Bain agreed.

Sighting Bard's warm smile and the loving shade in his eyes as he watched them, the she-Elf ultimately set her arms around the two elder siblings while Tilda cuddled to her chest in between them.

"Thank you..." she said softly.

It was a few moments later that Legolas entered the tent, stopping in his tracks at the sight before him.

"Come on... let's leave her to rest." Bard said reaching to retrieve Tilda.

Stepping aside, Legolas nodded in return when Bain and Sigrid bowed to him before leaving the tent, whilst Tilda waved to Faelwen over her father's shoulder.

"Thank you..."

Stopping in his tracks at Legolas' words, Bard now turned his puzzled gaze to the young prince who met his eyes with his own.

"She is as a sister to me... and I am grateful that you saved her."

Lightly bowing his head with a shade of smile, the dark haired male finally left the tent as well while Legolas approached Faelwen.

"My father is quite upset with you... as happy as he is that you're alive."

"I expected that much from him." she replied with a soft chuckle.

Though Legolas opened his mouth to speak again, his gaze was now drawn to the entrance where Tauriel dashed inside, her expression still concerned.

"My Lady..." she breathed in relief upon seeing Faelwen alive.

"It's alright, Tauriel..." the she-Elf replied, holding out a hand which the redhead grasped with a relieved smile as she knelt next to the blankets.

Silence lingered between the three Elves for a few moments, before Faelwen chose to speak again.

"Where are the Dwarves?"

Indeed, she didn't recall seeing them on the lakeside and when Tauriel's expression took a turn for sorrow, her heart cringed.

"They left shortly after the bowman shot Smaug. I tried to convince them otherwise, but they said they wished to reach the Mountain and see the halls of their fathers."

"My father is leading the army there..."

Startled by Legolas' reply, Faelwen set her azure gaze upon the young prince.

"Why?" she breathed out in horror at the idea of a battle.

"To reclaim something that belongs to him... at least that is what he told me."

Again silence veiled them briefly, before Faelwen stumbled to her feet; fatigue still had a strong dominion over her body, but still she pushed herself onwards.

"What are you doing?" Legolas called out, following her as she left the tent.

"I will _not_ let him start a war!" she hissed.

Her loud reply drew Bard's attention, as the male had just stepped out of his tent after changing into the dry clothes Sigrid had taken for him before leaving the house.

"Faelwen..."

Ignoring the blond prince's attempt at appeasing her, the female turned her back on him and walked to where the Elves had just finished setting up the king's tent.

"What happened?" Bard asked upon catching up to her.

"He means to take his army to Erebor."

When exhaustion caused her to trip on her own legs, the bargeman set his arms around her to hold her up.

"Faelwen, you need to rest... you are in no condition to speak to anyone of anything right now."

"Just come with me..." she pleaded, lightly squeezing his arm.

Sighing in defeat, the male nodded with an amused huff.

"I don't believe I've ever met a more stubborn Elf."

"My uncle often tells me I'm as stubborn as a Dwarf." she replied with a light smile. "But I believe that's a good thing."

"One can only hope..." he retorted humorously.

Ultimately her lips curved into a grin and soon enough the pair arrived at the large entrance to Thranduil's tent. With the two guards bowing lightly to her, she nudged Bard to follow her inside.

"Ah, good... I wanted to see you." the Elvenking stated before Faelwen could utter a word.

When he glanced at Bard and the male tried to leave – understanding that Thranduil desired some time alone with the girl – Faelwen grasped his arm.

"Please do not send him away, my Lord."

Returning his sapphire gaze to her, the Sindar Elf pressed his lips together in annoyance.

"Very well... then I will scold you in front of him."

With the young woman lowering her eyes, he watched as Bard slipped his hand in hers whilst Faelwen eagerly returned his grasp, lacing her fingers with his. Ultimately deciding against his initial desire, he somewhat softened his expression.

"Can you imagine how worried I was, when you did not return from the forest?" he said softly, his tone betraying a sorrowful shade beyond its warmth. "You know of the darkness that lies in Dol Guldur... how could you leave without telling anyone?"

"My Lord, I know what I did was wrong..." she replied, finally raising her gaze. "But it wasn't _all_ wrong... I left to save the Dwarves' lives. Had I not done it, Smaug would still be lurking in that mountain now."

"You almost died tonight... do you know the pain you would have caused Elrond, had you perished here? You are as his own daughter."

Clenching her jaw as tears twinkled in her eyes at the mention of her uncle, Faelwen ultimately hung her head before the Elvenking. The only thing to give her enough courage to answer was the warmth of Bard's strong yet gentle grasp on her hand and the harsh but pleasant touch of his calloused palm.

"I did what I judged to be right, my Lord. And my heart weeps for each man, woman and child who died in Esgaroth tonight, because of the events I set in motion when I kept the Dwarves alive."

"No..."

With both Elves setting eyes upon him, Bard frowned lightly as he fixed the woman's gaze with his own.

"This is not your fault... I heard your attempt to stop them; to make them understand the doom they would bring upon us. Don't bear the weight of the dead... it's not yours to carry."

Silently watching the two, Thranduil found himself with mixed feelings in the face of the obvious; while he disliked the fact that he had failed to convince Legolas to marry Faelwen, he cared too much for her so as to not rejoice in the fact that she had found a good man to love. What he could not deny was that Bard so strongly reminded him of another Man... a Man whose humility, despite his royal bloodline, made him so admirable... a Ranger – by his name Aragorn, son of Arathorn.

"I wish to speak to the ruler of these people." he finally said, looking to the bargeman. "If you are he, stay... if not, then bring him to me."

Before Bard could reply, the sounds of a commotion broke outside mere moments before the Master burst into the tent.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" he snapped at the guards who had been trying to keep him outside.

"Leave him." Thranduil replied, and both soldiers bowed before swiftly leaving the tent. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, my Lord... I am the Master of Lake-town." the fat male replied with a courteous bow, whilst casting a murderous glare Bard's way.

"Pay this old fool no heed, my Lord." Faelwen stated with a stern expression.

When Thranduil arched a brow and glanced her way, the Master gulped and forced a smile onto his face.

"My Lord, I speak the truth... Bard can tell you."

Visibly flinching when Faelwen set her piercing gaze upon him with narrowed eyes, the male then looked to Bard who went to answer only to have Faelwen grasp his chin and turn his face back to her.

"Do not deny your bloodline... that is a far more shameful act than what this fool has done." she pleaded.

"Faelwen..."

Looking to Thranduil when he called out to her on that ever so slightly scolding tone, the young woman then once more glanced to Bard with a begging shade in her eyes. Ultimately sighing, the bargeman stepped forward and set his eyes upon the Elvenking.

"I am Bard of Esgaroth... and I am descended from Girion, Lord of Dale." he stated humbly.

"Then you are the one I will speak to." Thranduil replied.

At his words the two guards returned and the blond king merely gestured with his hand, watching as the two soldiers grabbed the redheaded male and dragged him outside, ignoring his vehement protests.

"Come..." the Elvenking now said, gesturing to the back of the tent where a few armchairs had been placed.

Offering Bard an encouraging smile, Faelwen then moved to follow the two males, only halting to stand at the bargeman's side after he seated himself; leaning his elbow onto the chair's arm, the young male now gently grasped the hand she had set onto his shoulder, although his focus turned to Thranduil.

"Now... tell me everything that happened." the Sindar king requested, leaning back into his own chair.

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** - I agree, a lot of scenes were very startling and abrupt, but it was still a great movie, for what it was. As much as I complained in my review about all those things, in the end I'll still buy the movie on DVD and complete my collection and watch it again each time I do a _Hobbit_ marathon.

2. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - I know, I'm a visual person myself so after watching all three movies I can much more easily picture each scene as I write it, because now I have an actual face to stick to each character so that makes it a lot easier.

And I'm so glad we discussed the movie so much, actually. I always love discussing movies with friends and some of them have told me that I should make a tumblr or another kind of blog with movie reviews. The problem is I usually do reviews with spoilers and all, so I'm not sure that would be a good idea. But who knows? I have a tumblr that I haven't used so far, except to follow some blogs. So who knows?

3. **Shiva** - Because I am Sauron in disguise... no, really, because I'm evil~ :D

Joke aside, I always love good cliffhangers; I love to hate them. So I always try to make good cliffhangers for my stories, because that's what keeps people hooked. The sensation they get from a good cliffhanger, that leaves them wanting more and wanting to know what happens next. It's harder than it seems to do that for a story where pretty much everyone knows how it'll end, but I'm hoping that I've done a decent job so far.

4. **Guest** - Haha I actually liked Legolas in _The Hobbit_ trilogy; he was much better than I expected. And yes, I know he's not in the book but I kind of feel like he had to be there, because his father was an important part of this story, so it would have probably seemed a bit too awkward if he was nowhere to be seen. So I don't really mind that they added Legolas to the story... Tauriel... yeah, she wasn't really needed for the story and I probably would've liked Kili more as well, if she hadn't been around. I do wish Legolas would've been this badass in _The Lord of the Rings_ movies too, that would have made for such an epic trilogy.

And sorry, I know I talked a lot about Alfrid; I actually didn't even realize how much I complained about him, because I felt like there were so many things to complain about, related to him xD

5. **gostcat** - Muahahahaha mission accomplished :D

But seriously, I'm so glad to hear you liked the story so far and that you're so emotionally invested in it. And thank you so much for the heartwarming compliment, darling. And no worries, I'll definitely keep writing, I love writing stories too much to just drop it ;)

6. **ViolaPearl** - Oh my God, darling, you have ruined my life and I love you for it :D

But first things first, I'm so happy to hear you liked the last chapter. I was actually a bit afraid that I'd written a scene for Smaug that was too long, and that people would feel as if the fight was dragging along. So I'm really glad people seem to have loved the 3 chapter conflict between Bard and Smaug. And I know, I feel a bit sad that he had to die, too, but ultimately he was pure evil so no chance of redemption for him whatsoever.

But yes, I have taken your advice and watched the three seasons for Sherlock; and darling, let me tell you that I LOVED it. Ben and Martin have such great chemistry (not unlike RDJ and Jude Law actually) and it was deliciously fun to watch Sherlock Holmes fiddling with an iPhone or a laptop instead of pen and paper. While I still love RDJ's take, Ben was just wonderful in this role.

I think it's not far from the truth to say that RDJ's version of Sherlock Holmes is the best Victorian London Sherlock rendition for the screen, while Ben's take on the character is the perfect version for a modern-day setting Sherlock.

But yes, I loved it and I loved Ben in that role, and Martin finally got to use his dry humor to the fullest and he was wonderful. And I loved Rupert Graves as Lestrade, he was the perfect pick for the role. I actually had to do some research to see why he looked so familiar to me, and finally I realized that I knew him from the 1999 four-part TV mini-series _Cleopatra_, as Octavian, Caesar's adopted heir.

But to keep my rant short, I probably love this Sherlock series much more than I should. They took quite a risk with making a younger Sherlock AND a modern-day Sherlock at the same time, but it paid off; it's wonderful.

7. **g****uest** - Ask and thou shalt receive :D

But joke aside, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the story so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter, darling, and that I'll hear again from you soon :)

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


	11. Birthright

Oh dear, I am so sorry for being so late to update, lovelies. Exams kept me much busier than I anticipated... pair that with a nasty cold and you can see why I avoided the computer like the plague xD

But here it is, the next installment in our little adventure. I know you're all excited to read on, so I won't rant. Just remember to toss me a little review when you're done :D

Oh, one last little thing. Since I've been getting requests to start a movie review blog, after posting my review for BotFA, I put up a poll regarding that. I really want to know what you think, lovelies... should I do more reviews, or are there enough reviewers out there already? Do go and vote on it and let me know what you think, please :D

Now enjoy, darlings~

P.S. Every _The Hobbit_ character belongs to Sir J.R.R. Tolkien; I only own Faelwen :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>10. Birthright<span>**

_"Now... tell me everything that happened."_

_oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo_

By the time Bard had finished his accounting of recent events, a shadow of frown had darkened the Elvenking's fair features.

"Then you have as much right to a share of the treasure, as anyone else." he stated contemplatively. "Awakening Smaug was Thorin's doing... therefore rebuilding Esgaroth should be his doing as well."

"He did promise to share the wealth with the people of Lake-town." Bard agreed. "We will ask for no more than the amount needed to rebuild the town. My people have always earned what they got... they are good traders."

"So they are. Then march with me to Erebor."

"My Lord, is it truly wise to start a war?"

Looking up at Faelwen upon hearing her question, the king laced his fingers together beneath his chin, his piercing gaze boring into hers.

"There are jewels in that mountain – heirlooms of our kin – which have been promised to me since the time of Thorin's grandfather... when Erebor and Mirkwood were still closely tied together. I care not for the wealth gathered there; I merely want what is mine by right. It is Thorin's decision to make, if he wishes for bloodshed or peace."

"I will gather as many men as I can find... and we will march with you to the Mountain." Bard agreed. "Without Thorin's help my people will die; winter is near and we have need of shelter for those that survived."

It was the bargeman's words that ultimately compelled Faelwen to not oppose Thranduil's decision any longer; Bard was right... if Thorin refused to keep his word, all those people that she and the bowman had risked their lives for, would starve and freeze in the coming months.

"Your people would be wise to name you as their ruler." the Elvenking replied, a fond shade in his tone that neither Bard nor Faelwen had expected.

"They are already calling for him to be their king."

Turning to the source of the familiar voice, Faelwen felt her lips curving into a warm smile as she sighted Legolas approaching them. Leaning back in the chair as he took in those words, Thranduil merely fell into contemplation. He didn't doubt that Bard would be a good king, and he could prove to also be an invaluable ally in times of need.

"I care for my people... but I have no desire to be king."

"No good king ascends to the throne out of the desire to rule." the Elvenking replied. "He does it because he has a duty to his people... a duty to guide them... to protect them... to care for them..."

"You are of a noble bloodline." Legolas agreed. "It is your birthright to be king."

Silence now lingered between them whilst Bard lowered his gaze in thought; he would not deny his desire to properly care for his own people, nor his wish to see the Master pay for all he had brought upon Lake-town. But at the same time, he felt unworthy of a throne.

"I will consider it... and give you my answer in the morning." he finally said.

**oOoOo**

"Do you believe he will step up to claim his rightful place?"

Startled by Thranduil's sudden question Faelwen raised her gaze to the Elvenking. After Bard's departure, Legolas too had withdrawn leaving her alone with his father.

"I cannot tell, my Lord... he feels ashamed of his ancestor's failure in slaying Smaug. And though he erased that shame tonight by taking the dragon down himself... I cannot tell if that will be enough to make him claim his birthright."

A long breath left the Sindar Elf at that reply, as he stared contemplatively into the nearby fire, and Faelwen could tell he was deep in thought turning over the recent events in his mind.

"My Lord?" she asked with a somewhat concerned gaze.

Averting his sapphire eyes to her, Thranduil now revealed one of the rarest sights ever – a warm and kind smile, devoid of any trace of sarcasm or irony.

"You should go rest..." he said softly.

It wasn't often that he showed it, but he did love Faelwen as he loved his own child. Perhaps it was because of his centuries-long friendship with Elrond, perhaps because of her loving and endearing nature... or perhaps because it had always been his desire to have a daughter as well; a desire which had died many years before, along with his wife.

Again his circle of contemplation was broken, this time by the sensation of Faelwen grasping his hand.

"Perhaps you should do the same..." she replied with a fond smile, having knelt next to his chair.

Pressing a kiss to the back of his hand – a thing she had only ever done with her father and then with Elrond who had taken her father's place for her – she stood and left the king alone with his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath of the cold air which still smelled of ash and death, she found that she felt invigorated enough to discard the idea of returning to her tent; instead she now went through the large camp to check on the people and help the Elves heal the wounded.

**oOoOo**

"Thank you, my Lady... thank you..."

Offering a warm smile to the woman's gratitude Faelwen stood and moved to walk away so as to continue her trek, leaving the female in the care of another Elf. Her fatigue was catching up with her once more, three hours having passed since she had left Thranduil's tent.

Sighting an elderly woman seated next to her husband who was laid on a thick blanket, she approached to check on his wounds.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

Startled at the sound of Bard's voice, the she-Elf settled for offering him a light smile whilst the elderly woman reached for his hand and kissed it.

"Bless you, my Lord." she said when he attempted to stop her. "You saved us..."

Silently Faelwen retrieved another spray of athelas from the pouch she had received from one of the Elves; crushing the leaves between her fingers, she placed them over the burn on the male's arm, covering them with clean bandages.

"Thank you, my Lady..." the elderly male muttered with a fatherly smile, grasping her fingers with his trembling hand.

"Try to rest... your wound will be much better by morning." she replied gently.

"And you should heed your own advice." Bard stated humorously, setting a hand onto her shoulder.

Before she could think of a proper retort, however, the elderly female spoke again.

"Do not blame her if she can't rest without you, my Lord. Sleep often flees from me as well, when my husband is not by my side at night."

In spite of his amused huff, the young man offered a nod and an understanding smile as he knew exactly what she meant.

"But I... Bard, there are still many people injured." Faelwen finally protested.

"You can barely even talk anymore..." he replied, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. "Come..."

"Bard..."

"Rest, my Lady." the elderly woman smiled kindly. "The people will need you at our king's side for many years to come."

Smiling humbly at those words, the male now gathered Faelwen in his arms before standing and, with a respectful nod to the old couple, walked away toward his own tent.

Upon entering the small abode, he set one knee onto the carpets making up the flooring so as to set Faelwen down on the blankets which composed his bedding. It was when he tried to get up that he realized she was holding onto the edges of the dark blue tunic he had traded his brown shirt for. Sighting her stern gaze, he exhaled a soft sigh.

"Faelwen, you need rest... I'll be right he..."

His words caught in his throat at that point, when the she-Elf deftly tugged onto his tunic to make him lean forward just before she pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened for only a moment at the unexpected reaction; nonetheless he wrapped her in his arms and eagerly delved into the kiss, relishing in that sweet warmth he wished that he could have savored forever.

It was when he moved a hand to her cheek that he felt her moist skin, and the realization that she was crying compelled him to part their lips and set his sea colored eyes upon her face.

"I was so scared... when I saw you lying there and felt no breath from you..." she whispered as she tried in vain to hold back her tears.

Tightening his hold on her, the male now took to stroking her silky locks whilst he pressed his lips to her forehead; in turn, Faelwen wrapped her arms around his torso. It seemed that now, away from all prying eyes, the events of that night had finally sunk into her mind and caused her to break under their weight.

"As was I when I retrieved you from the lake..." he replied. "And in that moment I wished I could have gone with you."

Leaning back and setting his hands onto her cheeks, he now smiled lovingly whilst wiping away her tears.

"But we're both here... and all that happened tonight will remain as a bad dream." he said soothingly.

Unable to hold back a light smile, the she-Elf nodded in reply before leaning up to claim his lips again, wrapping her arms around his neck while one of his hands sank into her hair which had come undone by now, the other arm encompassing her waist to hold her firmly in his grasp.

"You're quite skilled at stalling..." he finally said humorously, barely willing himself to lean away from her alluring kiss.

"All women are..." she retorted.

His velvety chuckle preceded a much shorter kiss before he pulled himself from her. Standing, he discarded the leather belt holding his sword, as well as the bow and quiver strapped to his back. Setting them away he now returned to lie at Faelwen's side.

"Sleep..." he whispered, brushing the back of his fingers over her fair cheek.

"I will if you promise to stay."

A defeated smile blossomed on his lips at her plea, and he wrapped her protectively in his arms again before replying.

"Only death could take me from your side tonight..."

* * *

><p>Sooo today's replies for my darlings :D<p>

1. **Shiva** - Haha I'll see your Hobbit and raise you nine Nazgul then ]:3

Thank you so much for the good thoughts, so far I aced my exams so I'm extremely happy about that. And I wholeheartedly agree that exams were only devised as a way to torture students.

2. **Dalonega Noquisi** - Aww I'm so happy whenever I see people being fond of my OCs and I was hoping Faelwen would be an endearing character. So yes, she is okay but they still have quite a way left to go before they can settle down and live peacefully.

So I'm hoping you liked the story enough to want to join the ride until the end, darling. Hope to hear from you again soon :D

3. **SuperNaturalxxFreak** - Well as you've probably seen by now, I am highly fond of Thranduil as he was portrayed by Tolkien (because the last movie in particular, disappointed me so much in that regard). So yes, I'll do my best to keep him as true to his actual self as I can, while also trying my best to cater to his movie-self so that people who haven't read the book won't feel as if he's being entirely OOC.

Although by now I do want to assume that everyone who's reading this story has also read the book, because some scenes will stay true to the book, which means they'll be entirely different from the movies. And it wouldn't feel right if people mistook Tolkien's writing for my own imagination, so I want to believe that everyone read the book :D

As for the movie review blog... we'll see. I do fancy the idea so I'll think it over until my exams are done and then decide if I'll give it a shot or not. I might actually put up a poll here and see what my lovely readers think about it.

4. **Guest** - Yes, I know it's not actually a moose, but a species of elk. However, if you'll go back to chapter 8, you'll see that I used both terms there to describe Thranduil's mount. Because let's face it, I only have so many words that I can use as synonyms, and using "elk" over and over and over will become redundant and annoying when you read it.

So for the sake of avoiding redundancy, please bear with it, darling :)

5. **JasperControlsMyEmotions & Anna** - Aww I'm so glad to hear that, darlings. Well, here it is in all its glory. I hope you enjoyed it just as much as the previous chapter and that I'll hear from you two again soon :D

6. **ViolaPearl** - How could I not love it, when it was so well done? I am so grateful that you gave me the last "push" I needed to watch this series, because I honestly had no idea what I was missing out on. So for that, thank you again, you're awesome darling :D

And yes, I agree that Thranduil is so often portrayed in a way that he actually isn't, but I blame that on the way PJ made him out in the movies. As I said in my review, I think PJ kind of forgot that Thranduil is an Elf, because he made the Elvenking utterly different from any other Elf that ever appeared in both trilogies.

I agree that Thranduil has a harsher personality than Elrond or Galadriel (because of everything he's been through and all the death and betrayal he saw in his life) but from the book and the bits of his history in _The Silmarillion_, I didn't get the impression that he's SO different from other Elves, or that he hated Dwarves as a whole as much as the movies made him hate them. The movie played on his ancient grudge with Dwarves, but it made it seem as if he refused to help them because he was a conceited egotist, when in reality his only desire was to not bring death upon his own people - because Smaug would have definitely burned down the entire forest and slaughtered Thranduil's Elves, had he caught wind of them being involved in helping Thorin and the others.

As for Bard... we'll see, we'll see... I'm not spoiling anything, you'll have to wait and see if he will step up and claim his own throne in the end, or if he'll choose to remain in the shadows and protect his people without ruling over them ;)

7. **gostcat** - Haha well here you have it, darling; your wish is my command :D Hope you enjoyed this one as well and that I'll hear from you again soon :)

8. **harrylee94** - Ahh I know I haven't yet exposed anything that would explain Thranduil's unusual comparison, but it will come, have faith :D

Although I guess I could say a bit about Faelwen's past. Well, since this is my story, her mother was Elrond's sister which makes her related to the Lord of Imladris. However, she spent many of her years in Thranduil's kingdom after becoming very close friends with Legolas (as you could likely tell from the first chapters).

So in my head and in this story due to her, Thranduil and Elrond have a closer friendship than the books mention, so it wouldn't be unusual for Thranduil to have visited Rivendell sometime and to have met the young Aragorn. As for timeline, yes I'm keeping the movie timeline which means by now he would be around twenty-something and already out and about with his cousin and the other Rangers.

As for Bard's coat... he had to lose it! I always thought they made Bard wear way too many clothes in the movies; he was an archer, the poor guy would've likely been dressed similar to Legolas or any other archer xD

His movie outfit would have greatly hindered his archery skills. Also, fleece (or wool, I'm still not sure what the heck his coat was lined with) is highly flammable, I would know... I may or may not have accidentally set a sheep on fire when I was a little kid (the poor thing) so I know how fast fleece burns and you don't want poor Bard to turn into a piece of toast, right? But yes, my main hatred for the coat is the fact that in the book he was an actual archer which makes it more likely that he would've been wearing some light outfit made of leather or something, to be able to move freely. In that regard, I much more prefer his outfit in BotFA because it looks like it allows him more freedom in his motions, which can only be a good thing.

Whew, that was a long reply, hope I covered everything in it. If I forgot anything just mention it and I'll cover it in my next reply to you, darling :D

So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤


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